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 sumac un laude graduate with the highest grade point average.
Apart from the coveted Presidential Saber that will be personally handed over to him by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. during the graduation rites, he will also be conferred the JUSMAG Saber, Tactics Group Award, Natural Sciences Plaque, Army Professional Courses Plaque, Army Saber, Australian Defense Best Overall Performance Award, Gen. Antonio Luna Award and Humanities Plaque.
Ticar is the youngest among three siblings who had to make a difficult decision in his life after his father suffered an illness that made him a person with disability (PWD) over six years ago as he had to look for ways on how to sustain his studies in a higher level considering that he was a consistent honor student while in senior high school.
Upon learning that he passed the PMA entrance examination, he took the chance of entering the Academy without knowing what is in store for him but what was in his mind was to pursue a higher level of education to help in uplifting the living condition of his family at that time.
“I did not know ow what was in store for me upon entering the Academy. I had to hurdle the challenge of the sudden shift from civilian to military life which I was not used to,” Ticar stressed.
The new military official claimed that luckily, he was able to immediately adjust to the cadet life in the Academy with the support of his upperclassmen and with the guidance of the Almighty Father through his consistent prayers until he was able to uncover his hidden talent for excellence which he worked on until he learned that he will be the class valedictorian.
Ticar expressed his gratitude to the Almighty Father, the members of his family, his upper and lowerclassmen, the Academy teaching and non-teaching personnel, friends and relatives, for their unwavering and unrelenting support to him while in the Academy that allowed him to be able to hurdle the challenges of embracing military life and trying to work through the rigors of military service once commissioned with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
According to him, one of the difficulties that he encountered while in the Academy was inadequate finances, but he was able to work through the said problem with proper management of existing resources and being able to balance his schedules considering the numerous involvement of a cadet while enrolled in the said military institution.
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 where 212 are males and 54 are females.
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. By Dexter A. See
