‘No campaigning, political color in alumni homecoming, please’—PMA leadership

PMA cadets in Baguio City. INQUIRER file photo

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Military Academy leadership discouraged political campaigning in the upcoming alumni gathering on Saturday in Baguio City.

“Yun ang isa sa mga aktibidades na dinis-discourage po natin…sa mga alumni na naging bahagi na dun ng political practice natin dito sa ating bansa na sana ang alumni homecoming ay ituring na isang selebrasyon ng mga alumni na time to gather together and renew yung mga napagdaanan nila…at wag nang lagyan ng political color (That’s one of the activities we discourage to our alumni who are now part of political practice in our country. I hope the alumni homecoming will be treated as a celebration, a time to gather together and renew ties. There shouldn’t be political color),” PMA spokesperson, Captain Lynette Flores, said in a phone interview Wednesday.

At least 2,000 PMA graduates are expected to attend the alumni homecoming located at the PMA grounds in Fort del Pilar.

The guest of honor will be Vice President Jejomar Binay, an adopted member of PMA Class of 1988.

Former PMA graduates who are running for elections in the national level include Antonio Trillanes IV, Gregorio Honasan and Ramon Montano.

Meanwhile, Flores said that it is the discretion of the PMA Class if they would invite their adopted PMA members, some of which are politicians.

Every year, tarpaulins of welcome greetings from the alumni are usually posted all the way from Loakan up to the PMA grounds.

Flores said that streamers with a hint of politics will be removed.

“Gusto din natin na ma-consider, na ma-maintain ng isang military institution ang kanyang pagiging apolitical so as much as possible wag nang sabayan ng kung anong political undertaking ang observance ang alumni homecoming (We also want [everbody] to consider that for a military institution, it should be apolitical. We want to maintain that. As much as possible the observance of the alumni homecoming won’t have any political undertaking),” Flores said.