Incorporation Day, PMA Class of 2026

On the cancelled purchase of Russian Mi-17 helicopters after a down payment of P2 billion, retired Gen. Manuel Oxales, class 1959, who has always contributed thoughtful opinions and ideas on matters concerning defense and security arrangements of our country, asks, “Why patronize the adversary of an ally?” Good question!

We should now ask former secretary of national defense Delfin Lorenzana as to who authorized negotiations with Russia for the purchase of their helicopters, considering that we ran the risk of US sanctions? Also, who authorized the downpayment of P2 billion for the choppers in January 2022?

As late as March 2022, secretary Lorenzana announced that the deal was still on, only to cancel the whole transaction just a few days before leaving office in June 2022. Reason given: Possible imposition of sanctions by the United States. In any currency, P2 billion is a lot of money.

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As I mentioned in my column last week, a new Superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy was recently installed in office. Maj. General Rowen S. Tolentino, Philippine Army, and a member of class 1989 will serve in his new position for a period of four years, a year longer than that of the AFP chief of staff. This puts the PMA head at the same level as the presidents of state-run colleges and universities. Only the University of the Philippines president, who serves for six years, has a longer tenure.

It is a historic appointment in the sense that for the first time, the nation’s leading military institution will have a CEO with a fixed tour of duty in office. Singling out the PMA superintendent is recognition of the importance of this post in the education, training and development of our young men and women who are destined for future leadership in the armed forces.

General Tolentino has an interesting background that I wish to share with our readers. He is actually an Air Force brat, the son of retired Master Sergeant Renato Tolentino of the PAF, and grew up in the Airmen’s Barrio in Villamor Air Base, Pasay City. His wife, Mrs. Alma Tolentino, is also the daughter of an Air Force master sergeant living in Villamor. His ambition was to join the PAF after graduation from the PMA but in the lottery system that was used for determining the branch of service of the new graduates, he would always draw an army slot and so, ended up with the Philippine Army.

However, this did not prevent him from pursuing flying status as he joined the Army Aero Scout Company of the Light Armored Brigade utilizing Cessnas. Incidentally, General Horacio Tolentino, a former commanding general of the PAF, also grew up in Villamor Air Base. I enjoy characterizing his years in the Air Force as growing up in the Airmen’s Barrio and eventually ending his military career in the living quarters of the PAF chief.

So many of our military leaders come from humble origins and through hard work, determination and dedication to duty reached the top of their professions in the service of our country. They serve as inspiration for the men and women of the armed forces.

Yesterday was Incorporation Day at the Philippine Military Academy. The 350-strong plebe class of 2026 was “incorporated” into the cadet corps in a ceremony led by the Superintendent, with Vice Admiral Adeluis Bordado, Flag Officer In-Command of the Philippine Navy, as guest of honor and speaker. Bordado is scheduled to retire from the military service next month.

Incorporation rites mark the formal acceptance of members of class 2026 into the main body of cadets. Before incorporation, the 350 members were part of the New Cadet battalion that underwent six weeks of intensive basic military training and specialized programs on physical development to prepare them for the rigors of cadet life. After the ceremonies, the fourth-class cadets were given an opportunity to spend time with family members, unlike in the past when no visits were allowed during the entire plebe year.

Of the 350 new cadets, 224 are male and 124 female. Two failed to report to Fort Del Pilar. This represents the highest ratio of women to men since the academy started accepting girls in April 1993, in accordance with a law authored by Sen. Santanina Rasul, the first Muslim member of the Philippine Senate. Last May, the graduating class of 2022 had only 49 females out of 214, but the class valedictorian was a woman cadet, Krystlenn Quemado, of South Cotabato.

Just for comparison, the strength of the cadet corps of the US Military Academy at West Point is about 4,400. The PMA corps has roughly 1,300 members or the equivalent of the incoming West Point class of 2026. Incidentally, West Point recently marked “Acceptance Day” for the new batch of cadets. This ceremony is the equivalent of our Incorporation Day. Also, as with PMA, the USMA has a new Superintendent, Lt. General Steven Gilland, class 1990, who replaced Lt. General Darryl Williams, the first African American head of West Point.