Top cadets honored ahead of PMA graduation with Marcos
BAGUIO CITY—Described as the “new breed of soldiers,” the graduating cadets of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Siklab Laya Class of 2025 received performance awards and recognition on Friday, ahead of their commencement exercises today.
The graduation ceremony will mark their official commissioning as junior military officers by President Marcos.
Siklab Laya—short for Sundalong Isinilang na Kasangga at Lakas ng Ating Bayan para sa Kalayaan—“is a new brand of Filipino soldiers,” said Defense Senior Undersecretary Irineo Espino during the awarding ceremony for outstanding cadets.
Espino noted that all 266 cadets of Siklab Laya, including 54 female cadets, have become “part of something greater” since the Armed Forces shifted its strategic focus toward external and archipelagic defense.
Navy Vice Adm. Caesar Bernard Valencia said this year’s batch was the first PMA class to conduct its mandatory field training at Pag-Asa (Thitu) Island in the West Philippine Sea. Held in April, the training exposed cadets to the persistent Chinese presence that Pag-Asa residents face daily.
Valedictorian
Cadet First Class (C1C) Jessie Ticar Jr., the class valedictorian and a summa cum laude, received the Gen. Antonio Luna Award for excelling in military science courses. He also earned plaques of recognition in both the natural sciences and the humanities.
C1C Vincent Angelo Laylo, a cum laude, was named the Class “Starman”—an honor given to the cadet who has shown consistent excellence throughout four years of training.
C1C Roland Patalinghug of Butuan City received the Mathematics Plaque, while C1C Murthan Zabala, the class salutatorian, was awarded plaques in management, national security studies, the social sciences and information technology.
C1C Bin Laden Mindalano, a Maranao, earned the plaque for sports and physical development. Meanwhile, C1C Tracy Anselmo Miranda, an Ibaloy, and C1C Katrina Jane Luna of Surigao del Sur, received the Athletic Saber.
Valencia, speaking on Friday, credited Espino for shaping and “championing” the 2028 PMA Road Map, which includes improved cadet welfare and international academic linkages.
PMA is set to roll out a new curriculum in 2026, incorporating basic training in cyber technology and cyber warfare—reforms advocated by President Marcos during the 2024 PMA graduation to help “future-proof” the military.
Valencia added that Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro had instructed him to “revisit the curriculum in order to make it responsive to the ever-changing complexity of our global landscape.”
Espino, who had served as PMA superintendent (2012-2013), described the Siklab Laya class as “vital as some of our frontliners in defending land, sea, air, and cyberspace,” emphasizing the need to be prepared for “conflict and calamity.”
Marcos to attend
Of the graduating cadets, 137 will join the Army, 71 the Navy, and 58 will fly aircraft for the Air Force. All 266 cadets participated in the two-week deployment to Pag-Asa Island to understand how their future branches would respond to foreign intrusions in the West Philippine Sea, Valencia said on May 7, when the year’s top ten graduates were first announced.
More awards will be presented during Saturday’s graduation. President Marcos is expected to confer the Presidential Saber on Ticar. It remains unclear whether Vice President Sara Duterte will attend the ceremony, where she is expected to present the Vice Presidential Saber to Zabala.
C1C John Robert Real will receive the Chief Justice Saber, likely from Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, for excelling in military law.
C1C Kristine Kate Senados, the tenth highest-ranking graduate, will receive the Aguinaldo Saber from Emilio Aguinaldo Suntay, great-grandson of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo.
