Biggest class with most number of women ever to graduate from PMA

The Philippine Star 03/15/2006

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City — Never has there been a class this big, and with the most number of women at that, to graduate from the country’s premiere military training institution in its 108-year history.

And despite the constant controversies rocking the Armed Forces, 324 cadets are determined to make their way into the 120,000-strong military.

The "Mandala 2006" class bears the distinction of being the largest class the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) has produced and it will send off the 324 cadets to graduate next weekend, said PMA spokesman Navy Lt. Alvin Lopez.

The class also boasts of having the most number of female members at 37, Lopez said.

Last year, four female cadets graduated in the Top 10 of their class of only around 200.

Pre-war classes of the Philippine Constabulary Academy, the PMA’s old name, were rather small with the PCA class of 1909 having only four members.

Without hinting who among the 324 are on the honor roll, Lopez said 179 will join the Philippine Army, 79 will go to the Navy and 66 to the Air Force.

Commencement exercises will be held on March 25.

Before the Mandala batch, the "Bantay Laya" Class of ’94 held the record with the highest number of graduates at 273 cadets, Lopez said.

The milestone figure in the PMA’s history comes as the Armed Forces of the Philippines is hounded by talks of unrest within its ranks following a reported thwarted attempt to launch a coup d’etat. The government responded by declaring a week-long state of emergency and now continues to purge the AFP and national police of members suspected of plotting to overthrow the Arroyo presidency. — Artemio Dumlao

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/news200603156601.htm

:ssalute:

congratulations! may you have excellent careers!

and remember..... be professional soldiers of the republic!

20 years from now, this class should be known as the biggest class with the least number of corrupt alumni, hopefully...

This class also has the most number of magna cum laude and cum laude graduates:

article

congratulations :thumb:

And hopefully, this class will not have one of their members committing suicide under very "doubtful circimstances" just like what some previous classes experienced.

Congratulations and Good Luck, Class Mandala! :ssalute:

My salute to the future Second Lieutenants and Ensigns of PMA Class 2006!

MABUHAY! :aberet:

Let us wait and see. I am tired of always defending our country's politics and especially of why coups are always led by alumnus of the PMA. I only hope this batch will prove me wrong. Please let me be wrong for a change.

These young military career professionals were the products of the modern era of training in the field of socio-military professionalism.

There are only two things to be expected from them.

1. That they have learned the corrective measures to rectify the old military mentality with emphasis on the doctrine that civilian authority is supreme over any authority and thereby respects the people's will and stay away from politics (apolitical) by not serving as guard dogs to politicians. - This is the positive outlook. and

2. That they can "adapt" and or "adopt" easily the modern social ills and sophisticated
corruption following the tides of the present proliferation. - This is the negative outlook.

Anyway, we have to salute to this new breed to uplift their spirits to overcome this odds that could make a great difference to the image and prosperity of our country.
:salute:

Let me post a message from our forum.

"Bok would you believe that cadets are no longer exposed sa beerbusting when an upperclass orders a plebe to 1 count a pitcher of beer.

Instead, they have these socials once in a while..They are allowed to drink wine and other liquor "socially" and interact with various tac o's, the supt himself, other personnel of pma including the prof.

These is to enhance the cadet to be more professional during social gatherings...ayos b? hehehe

believe it, i've been there and saw it with my own two eyes. May bonfire at bbq pa nga eh..."

====
"May epekto din itong social drinking na 'to. Nung isinasama ni Sales and
Cantal yung mga Army 04 na fresh graduates to join the uppies who were in
U2, one of them made a statement, "We don't drink Tanduay, sir. We'd rather
take SMB Lyt kung walang red wine. At sana, may pulutan. At kung pwede, dun
sana sa malamig na lugar, sir.""
Atleast these are good changes. And I hope it lasts. hahahaha.


Noki01 :crawling: :asniper:

Intentionally? hmmmm...starting young ha. Let's see how they feel when EP's starts ignoring their presence. :drunk:

two young lieutenants did not render salute to the commander-in-chief? Huh, bad sign. Remember the saying, " If you will Start gud, you will end gud. But if you will start bad, you will end bad" :thumb:

PMA valedictorian dies after bout with cancer
By Joel Guinto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 11:41pm (Mla time) 09/05/2007


MANILA, Philippines -- The valedictorian of the Philippine Military Academy's 2006 Mandrigmang Dangal ng Lahi (Mandala) Class of 2006, who has been battling liver cancer, died on Wednesday evening.

Philippine Air Force chief Lieutenant General Horacio Tolentino confirmed Air Force Second Lieutenant Ariel Toledo's passing, but he could not give further details.

"Yes, he passed away at about 6:45 p.m.," Tolentino said in a text message.

"Up to the last minute, he was trying to fight the cancer. The will to live was quite evident on him. I salute him," he added.

Toledo's cause of death was not immediately known. It was also not clear whether he expired at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center in Quezon City, where he has been confined.

R.I.P. :salute:

PMA 2006 valedictorian loses bout with cancer
09/06/2007 | 08:53 AM
GMANews.tv


Air Force 2nd Lieutenant Ariel Toledo, last year's valedictorian at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), died Wednesday night, about five months after his "mistah" or classmates learned that he was suffering from liver cancer.

"The corpse is still in V. Luna. He expired at around 7 p.m. We will still find out from the family of the plan [for the wake and burial]," said Air Force spokesman Col. Epifanio Panzo.

Panzo said Toledo had been fighting cancer, but added that the Air Force has yet to speak with the attending physician about the details of the soldier's death.

Toledo graduated at the top of the PMA 2006 Mandirigmang Dangal ng Lahi (Mandala) class.

He was found to be suffering from bile duct cancer and needed to undergo stem cell therapy costing millions of pesos.

REVEILLE
A commanding officer stays with his troops


By Ramon J. Farolan
Inquirer
Last updated 01:03am (Mla time) 09/10/2007


MANILA, Philippines - Last year, we marked the golden anniversary of our graduation from the Philippine Military Academy. Center stage was shared with the class of 2006, the 324-strong batch with the largest number of women graduates. It was as though we were watching our own sons and daughters marching in formation, ready to assume their places in the long grey line that now stretches from one end of the parade ground to the other, practically covering Borromeo Field.

In the history of the PMA, perhaps no class has suffered so many casualties in so short a period of time. Barely a year after graduation, four of its members would fall to enemy fire. A fifth—its Presidential Sabre awardee for graduating at the head of the class—would fight a losing battle against disease. In the end, PAF Lt. Ariel Toledo of Sto. Domingo, Ilocos Sur, would not be able to survive the onslaughts of an enemy that has long been the scourge of mankind. A newspaper (not the Inquirer) identified him as “the first Ilocano to become the topnotcher at the PMA.” To be fair, there were others from the region who graduated at the head of their classes several years before Toledo. In our batch, the Class of 1956, Jose C. Bello of Candon, Ilocos Sur, finished as the class valedictorian. Nevertheless, we too join his fellow Ilocanos in mourning the loss of a young man whose life held so much promise not only for his family but also for the nation.

On a personal note, the Mandala Class of 2006 has a special place in my heart. In 2003, Maj. Gen. Melchor Rosales, now an interior undersecretary, was the superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy. He invited me to address the corps of cadets after a parade and review. At that time, the Class of 2006 made up the plebe component of the corps. In June 2005, Lt. Gen. Cristolito Balaoing, the PMA superintendent, would also invite me as the guest of honor during Incorporation Day rites at Fort Del Pilar. This time the Class of 2006 provided the officers commanding the brigade of cadets.

I wish to thank General Rosales and General Balaoing for their kind and generous invitation for me to speak before the cadets and to partake of the same simple meal that I used to have many years ago, surrounded by the young men who will some day lead our Armed Forces. My special thanks also goes to former AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Efren Abu who I know was instrumental in my visit to the academy in 2005. General Abu is now a special envoy to the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asian Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA). In the case of General Balaoing, I am informed that he has not been in the best of health during the past few months. I wish him a safe and speedy recovery.

* * *

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinio...rticle_id=87598

Army official killed in scuffle with fellow soldier in Surigao
10/28/2008 | 08:39 PM

MANILA, Philippines - A young Army lieutenant was killed while another one was wounded Sunday in a scuffle with fellow soldiers in Placer town, Surigao del Norte, reports reaching Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City said.

Killed in the incident was 2Lt. Albert Amat, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 2006, while the injured soldier was identified as 2Lt. Joe Patrick Martinez, who just graduated from the same academy last March.

The report said the incident started at about 9 p.m. last Sunday at the headquarters of the Army’s 30th Infantry Battalion located at Sta. Cruz village when Amat punched T/Sgt. Neptael Maglangit, who was reportedly drunk. As Maglangit recovered, Amat drew a pistol, leading to a scuffle for the firearm.

“During the scuffle, around 20 30th IB personnel who have not yet been identified, simultaneously fired shots in the air… while shouting ‘Hoo, di tama yan’ (That’s not right) and other vindictives,” the report said.

Amat and Martinez were rushed to the Miranda Medical Hospital in Surigao City, but Amat was pronounced dead on arrival.

Maglangit, meanwhile, went to Placer police station on board his motorcycle and surrendered himself for an investigation.

Major Randolph Cabangbang, spokesman for the military’s Eastern Mindanao Command, said they are already investigating the incident following reports that Amat and Maglangit had a long standing feud.

“Eastmincom has ordered a probe on the incident. Immediately after the incident, we ordered an investigation and a inspector general team from the 4th Infantry Division is already there since yesterday (Monday),” Cabangbang said.

Cabangbang said that apart from Maglangit, other soldiers are being investigated for the incident, and that their firearms will be subjected to ballistic examination. - GMANews.TV

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/129963/Army-of...dier-in-Surigao

Another one has fallen victim to the violence in Mindanao. Mistah, you'll always be remembered.