FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City — The Philippine Military Academy (PMA) is replacing one of its old barracks where former cadet and now Sen. Panfilo Lacson used to stay, and a time capsule honoring that iconic building includes the Oct. 28 edition of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The Inquirer was chosen as “newspaper of the day” that was put in a canister containing the building plans for the P335-million project that would replace Regis Hall.
Construction of the new four-story building is being financed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. through the Bloomberry Cultural Foundation Inc.
Lacson and newly installed Armed Forces chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Rey Leonard Guerrero, signed the building plans before they helped bury the time capsule during a groundbreaking ceremony here on Saturday. Lacson and Guerrero were here to grace the recognition rites for the incoming PMA Class of 2021.
Lacson, a member of PMA Class of 1971, was among the first cadets to be billeted at Regis Hall along with those from classes 1969, 1970 and 1972.
Regis Hall was named after the late Lt. Leopoldo Regis, cadet first class captain and class topnotcher on PMA Class of 1951.
According to the Academy Scribe, the PMA yearbook, the three-story building had been home to “two cadet companies, the brigade staff room, the cadet guardroom and the club rooms [for] the extracurricular organizations.”
The old Regis Hall is set to be demolished in December. Once completed in October 2018, the replacement barracks will house 17 cadet rooms, 13 study rooms, an armory and club rooms. —Karlston Lapniten