PMA seeks more land in Benguet to expand camp

The Philippine Military Academy, the country’s top military training institution, is looking to expand its reservation in Baguio City through a presidential proclamation. —EV ESPIRITU

BAGUIO CITY—The Philippine Military Academy (PMA) wants to expand its military reservation and has asked President Duterte to issue a proclamation extending the area of Fort Del Pilar here by another 105 hectares.

This was disclosed by Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, a member of PMA Class of 1970, during his visit to Fort Del Pilar on Wednesday.

The area being sought by the academy is located in nearby Tuba town in Benguet province. It is being used as its firing range and for field exercises for cadets undergoing military assault training.

In a letter to Mr. Duterte, Cimatu said granting the PMA the additional land would “assure the academy of a secure water source and help protect the area from intrusions, encroachments and other forms of adverse claims.”

The forested hill covering 373 ha at Barangay Loakan, where Fort Del Pilar is located, has been home to cadets since the 1950s. The camp was relocated from Camp Henry Allen near the Baguio City Hall to Loakan to accommodate the growing number of cadets.

Expansion area

According to Cimatu, the PMA first asked for the additional land in 2015 when it informed the Office of the President about the academy’s need for a bigger training area.

The expansion area is near the Liwliw creek and a public forest. It is outside a property being disputed by the PMA and an indigenous peoples’ family that has been operating small-scale mines there. —REPORTS FROM VINCENT CABREZA, KARL LAPNITEN AND KIMBERLIE QUITASOL