4 women make it to PMA’s top 10

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City — Women continue to shine among the mostly male corps of cadets at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).

Four of the 12 graduating female cadets this year finished at the top of their class. In fact, officials said this batch has the largest number of female graduates since the PMA began accepting women in 1993.

"It’s not actually a gender thing" anymore, 2Lt. Geraldine Abigail Albano Hallar told reporters. "We just happened to be men and women who persevered in the academy."

The 22-year-old Hallar, ranked fourth in her class, besting 11 of her female "mistahs" and 145 male cadets. During the commencement exercises to take place this Saturday, all of them will officially assume the rank of second lieutenant in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

In 1999, then Cadet First Class Arlene de la Cruz bested the rest of her class to become the first female topnotcher at the PMA. She is now a first lieutenant in the Philippine Navy.

Six female cadets made history in 1997 when they became the first batch of women to graduate from the PMA. At least 75 females have since followed suit and now serve in various branches of the AFP.

Hallar, whose parents are schoolteachers in Ilocos Norte, said she followed her father’s advice: to have faith, perseverance and courage.

She said one of her idols is Capt. Leah Lorenzo, who is now assigned to the AFP’s Southern Command based in Zamboanga City. Lorenzo is a member of PMA Class ’97.

Hallar will join the Philippine Air Force along with fifth-placer Carol Ena Sabijon and Marjorie Donggayao Mukay, ranked 10th in their class.

Sabijon’s parents are both officers in the Air Force. The 23-year-old cadet, who dreamed of being a pilot, finished three semesters of computer science courses at the University of the Philippines’ Diliman, Quezon City campus before joining the PMA.

Mukay is the first ever female cadet from the Cordilleras to graduate as one of the top students in their class. She comes from a poor family in Tabuk town, Kalinga province.

Mukay, who was teary-eyed as she spoke with reporters yesterday, said she had wanted to become a doctor or a flight attendant but her family was too poor to support her.

"So I decided to enter the academy," she said, adding that she flunked the first time she took the entrance exams.

Deodelyn Aguilar, ranked sixth in their class, will serve in the Army’s infantry in Mindanao. She is from San Quintin, Pangasinan.

Aguilar, 21, said all the female cadets in their class had to support each other, and established a buddy system to help each other in their studies.

She joined the Army because she believes today there are more opportunities for female soldiers. She said she opted to serve on the frontlines of Mindanao because it is "more exciting."

Only Hallar and Aguilar currently have boyfriends, but neither has plans to tie the knot anytime soon.

PMA Commandant of Cadets Brig. Gen. Leopoldo Maligalig said most of the PMA cadets attended the academy for economic reasons. More than a third of cadets who belong to PMA "Sanlingan" Class of 2005 come from families with a total monthly income of P10,000 or less.

"There is one graduating cadet who worked as a carpenter to pay his way (through) high school. On Saturday, he will be one of the graduates," he said.