BAGUIO CITY – A 23-year old son of a former taxi driver and a vendor from Quezon City is the top graduating cadet of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Sundalong Isinilang na Kasangga at Lakas ng Ating Bayan para sa Kalayaan (SIKLAB-Laya) Class of 2025 during the graduation rites of the premier military institution in Asia on Saturday, May 17, 2025.
Cadet First Class Jessie JR R. Ticar, 23, a native of Quezon City will be receiving the Presidential Saber for graduating as the class valedictorian aside from making history in the Academy as the fourth summa cum laude graduate with the highest grade point average.
Graduating as the class salutatorian is Cadet First Class Murthan Zabala, 24, a native of Cebu City who will also be receiving the Vice Presidential Saber, Academic Group Award, Management Plaque, National Security Studies Plaque, Spanish Armed Forces Saber, Information Technology Plaque and Social Sciences Plaque while placing third is Cadet First Class Joana Marie Viray, 23, a native of Villamor Air Base, Pasay City, who will be graduating as cum laude and will be receiving the Australian Defense Best Overall Performance Award, Philippine Navy Sober and Secretary of national Defense Saber.
Cadet First Class Carlo A. Badiola, 24, a native of Camarines Sur landed in fourth place while Cadet First Class Jetron Giorgio A. Nazareno, 23, a native of Oriental Mindoro placed fifth and will be graduating as cum laude aside from receiving the Navy Professional Courses Plaque.
Landing in sixth place is Cadet First Class Kobe Jo Ann Q. Pajaron, 21, a native of Negros Oriental who will be graduating as cum laude and will be receiving the Philippine Air Force Saber, Australian Defense Best Overall Performance Award and the Department of Leadership Award.
Cadet First Class Malvin Brian Dapar, 24, a native of Bohol placed seventh and will be graduating as magna cum laude and will be receiving the Association of Generals and Flag Officers, Inc. (AGFO) Award while Cadet First Class Elzur D. Salon, 24, a native of Nueva Vizcaya landed in eight place and will be receiving the Air Force Professional Courses Plaque. In ninth place is Cadet First Class Aprilyn A. Magsigay, 25, a native of Agusan del Sur while rounding up the top 10 is Cadet First Class Kristin Kate C. Senados, 23, a native of Zamboanga Sibugay who will also be receiving the Aguinaldo Saber.
PM Superintendent Vice Admiral Cesar Bernard Valencia described the members of the graduating class to be resilient and bright as there will be one cadet who will be graduating as summa cum laude, four cadets will be graduating as magna cum laude and six cadets will be graduating s cum laude. Four of the Top 10 are female cadets.
Further, 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.
He claimed that Ticar joined the Academy’s elite list of summa cum laude graduates by being the fourth and having the highest weighted grade point average. The other summa cum laude graduates belong to PMA Class of 1985, 1997 and 2021. By Dexter A. See
