From cadets to nation-builders: PMA celebrates 128 years of lifelong commitment to the country

MANILA — Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. highlighted that the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) should produce warfighters.

In his speech as guest of honor and speaker during the 128th anniversary of the country’s premier military school at Fort Del Pilar, Teodoro said the academy must take part in producing specialized military minds to face the challenges of the 21st and 22nd centuries.

“We have to produce in this academy warfighters. Make no bones about it. Every graduate of this institution is a warfighter,” Teodoro said.

He clarified that warfighting is not confined to combat and kinetic operations, as it also encompasses the whole gamut of efforts necessary to preserve the national objectives of every state.

He also cited the challenges posed by misinformation, which has likewise been weaponized in this day and age.

“Given the amount of things out of the ordinary that are constantly being weaponized. To include the all important and pervasive weaponization of information,” Teodoro said.

For his part, PMA superintendent Lt. Gen. Michael Logico reiterated that even after enduring years of training, skills development, and values formation as dignified Filipino citizens, and long after leaving the corners of the esteemed institution, PMA graduates have nurtured their character and sustained their commitment to duty and honor in service to their country.

“But it is also a long time in the life of a nation, long enough for empires to rise and fall, for wars to be fought, for governments to change, and for generations of Filipinos to live, struggle, sacrifice, and hope,” Logico said.

As the academy marks its 128th founding anniversary, each and every former and current cadet was once again reminded of the close-knit bond of history and duty that has lived with and endured through the PMA.

“The academy will change. The world will change. The profession will change. But the character we seek to instill in every graduate must endure,” Logico said.