BAGUIO CITY – President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. will be the guest of honor and speaker during the graduation rites of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Sundalong Isinilang na Kasangga at Lakas ng Ating Bayan para sa Kalayaan (SIKLAB-Laya) Class of 2025 at the Borromeo grounds in Fort del Pilar on Saturday, May 17, 2025.
Marcos, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), will be commissioning the 266 first class cadets as 2nd lieutenants and ensigns of the AFP following their graduation from the premier military institution in the Asia-Pacific region.
Earlier, PMA Superintendent Cesar Bernard Valencia announced that there will be some 266 male and female cadets that will be comprising the PMA SIKLAB-Laya Class of 2025 with 212 male and 54 female graduates.
Further, 137 cadets composed of 112 males and 25 females will be joining the Philippine Army, 71 cadets composed of 56 males and 15 females will be joining the Philippine Navy and 58 cadets composed of 44 are males and 14 are females will be joining the Philippine Air Force.
Valencia described the members of the graduating class as resilient and bright as there will be one cadet who will be graduating as summa cum laude, four cadets will be graduating magna cum laude and six cadets will be graduating cum laude.
Moreover, he added that aside from the top ten graduating cadets, there are 14 other cadets who will be given special wards during the commencement exercises.
However, there are only two male cadets who were able to graduate from college while there are 143 cadets composed of 114 males and 29 females who are classified as college undergraduates.
Some 121 graduating cadets are senior high school graduates from the various public and private secondary education institutions in the country where 96 are males and 25 are females.
The PMA Superintendent claimed that the graduating class is the first batch to enjoy the traditional reception day brought back by the Academy after it was done away with during COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
He also underscored the many firsts of the SIKLAB-Laya class, being the first batch to conduct the on-the-job training and the opening of the joint training exercises in Pag-asa island which provided them with a glimpse of their duties and responsibilities once commissioned as new AFP junior officers.
Additionally, according to him, the graduating class is also the first batch of PMA cadets to participate in the International Forum on Peace, Security and Prosperity held in Palermo, Sicily, Italy.
The SIKLAB-Laya class is also the first batch to lead PMA’s first-ever participation in the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition in the United States Military Academy in West Point.
Valencia emphasized that this year’s graduating class is also the first batch to participate in the International Sailing Regatta conducted overseas which guarantees their utmost exposure to both local and international strategies in sustaining peace and order in the country.
He assured that the graduating cadets are ready to face the challenges in the implementation of the country’s comprehensive archipelagic domain concept that goes beyond local law and order concerns. By Dexter A. See
