BAGUIO CITY — Over 300 young men and women who compose the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 2028 underwent the incorporation rites at the Borromeo Fields, Fort del Pilar, here recently.
The incorporation rites signified the formal integration of the members of PMA “Sigasig sa Labanan Kalasag ng Sinilangan (Siglab Kasilag)” Class 2028 into the Cadet Corps Armed Forces of the Philippines (CCAFP) after more than a month of undergoing the new cadet battalion training and becoming accustomed to the life of a military trainee.
This marks the beginning of their academic year to equip them with proper knowledge and skills in different academic disciplines and to adjust to military life.
In his message, newly installed PMA Superintendent RADM Caesar Bernard Valencia said the new cadets will be honed to the four pillars of their education in the training in the Academy through character, academic excellence, military training, and physical development.
He called on the cadets to fully embrace the next phase of their training with both vigor and determination.
“In the coming months, there will be multiple times when you doubt yourselves. You will come close to faltering. You may even consider the lies that your body is telling you that you do not belong here. But when all these negative thoughts start to enter your minds, remember always that you are already here, you deserve to be here, you deserve to be here, and you will not care whatever happens to you because you have that innate desire to be a warrior. A true and noble defender of our maritime nation.”
New PMA Superintendent RADM Caesar Bernard Valencia addresses the members of PMA Class 2028 during their incorporation rites on Saturday, July 27, 2024. Photo by PMA
Valencia said the training that the cadets will undergo in the next four years will uncover their virtues and strengths.
He said challenges might hinder their quest for excellence but they just have to believe in themselves and trust the Almighty.
“Believe in yourself and the Almighty and in time, you will overcome all of this. You will learn to develop the positive mental attitude that us all of the officers in front would definitely agree. You will become your best tool in creating a positive change for a maritime nation. I have also been in your respective shoes and I have also experienced the same hardships as you have. And if I can do it, trust me, kayang-kaya ni’yo rin ‘yan.”
Valencia added that the tough times will make the cadets stronger and reveal who they really are. The path towards the long gray line is not easy but he urged them to persist until the very end.
He also expressed his gratitude to the parents and guardians of the cadets for “lending their sons and daughters in our maritime nation.”
Valencia assured that the PMA will not cuddle the cadets but will mold them into the best possible version of themselves that they can really be.
Valencia is the 85th Superintendent of PMA. He is a member of the PMA Class of 1990 and served as the Philippine Navy Vice Commander in 2022. He also served as the commander of the Naval Forces Northern Luzon in 2019 before appointed chief of Naval Staff in 2021. He replaced Lt. Gen. Rowen Tolentino who retired recently. (DEG-PIA CAR)