PMA WELCOME Members of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 2022 are welcomed by senior cadets during a recognition program at Borromeo Field in Fort del Pilar, Baguio City. —KARLSTON LAPNITEN
FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City — The 315-member Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 2022 on Sunday was told to always uphold the cadets’ honor code to “never tolerate anybody for lying, cheating and stealing.”
Lt. Gen. Rozzano Briguez, chief of the Philippine Air Force, called on the new cadets to keep the core values instilled during plebehood, as he led the recognition rites for them.
Rite of passage
They were incorporated into the cadet corps in a rite of passage, getting handshakes from their upperclassmen after a grueling six-month training.
“You know they (crooked cadets) do not deserve a place in the cadet corps nor the Armed Forces,” said Briguez, a member of PMA Class of 1986.
The Class of 2022, called Bagsikdiwa (Bagong Sibol sa Kinabukasan Mandirigma Hanggang Wakas), has 253 male and 62 female cadets.
Records from the PMA showed that of 17,482 applicants, only 15,502 took the entrance examinations. A total of 1,015 examinees passed but only 450 of them were selected. Only 315 actually showed up to be plebes.
Molding character
Recalling his plebehood, Briguez said the first year of training at the PMA was critical in molding the character of future military leaders.
Citing a 66-percent public trust rating in a 2017 survey, he noted this was the highest achieved in recent decades and was due to the military’s ability to “stand guard in protecting people amid threats and turbulence.” —Karlston Lapniten