The first batch of Philippine Military Academy cadets to receive digital warfare training was formally commissioned into the Armed Forces of the Philippines on Saturday, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivering a message that carried unmistakable weight given the controversies swirling around one of the academy’s most prominent alumni.
Addressing the 207 graduates of the Talang Dangal Class of 2026 at Borromeo Field, Marcos urged the newly minted junior officers not to stay silent when confronted with wrongdoing — a remark that came as Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, a member of PMA’s Sinagtala Class of 1986, faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant on charges of crimes against humanity tied to his role in the Duterte administration’s drug war.
Retired Gen. Irineo Espino, senior undersecretary of the Department of National Defense and a former PMA superintendent, stood in for Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro at the rites. Espino, who completed a doctorate last year, pressed the graduates to keep learning.
“Know your mission, understand your people, and never stop improving yourselves as a well-informed officer earns the trust and confidence of both your superiors and subordinates. I completed my doctorate last year, so I continue to study. I want you to follow in my footsteps,” he said.
Among the 207 commissioned were 65 female cadets and 142 male cadets. The class name — Talang Dangal — is short for Tagapagtanggol ng Lahing Dakila at Marangal, or defenders of a noble and dignified race.
A day before the graduation, the PMA held awarding ceremonies honoring the class’s top performers. C1C Adriene Faith San Jose, who led the Honor Committee that adjudicates violations of the cadet honor code, received the superintendent’s saber. The Emilio Aguinaldo Saber went to C1C Elaine Lyka Canaya of Carmen, North Cotabato, while C1C Earl Asuncion of Isabela took the mathematics plaque. C1C Iwan Ateo-an of Bontoc, Mountain Province claimed the academy’s journalism award.
PMA superintendent Navy Vice Admiral Caesar Bernard Valencia, whose updated curriculum introduced digital warfare training to the academy’s program, reminded the new officers that rank carries responsibility, not entitlement.
“Being somebody in the service does not mean being above others. It does not mean seeking power, privilege, prestige, or recognition for its own sake. On the contrary, it means embracing a greater responsibility. It means choosing the harder path… of service over self, of duty over comfort and of leadership rooted in integrity,” Valencia said.
He had earlier briefed Marcos that the graduates were trained to operate in a “multi-threat, multi-domain, and technical environment.”
