<\/p>\n
PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. hailed the PMA Siklab-Laya Class of 2025 as \u201ca class of many firsts\u201d and urged them to prepare for modern warfare\u2014fought in cyberspace, through information protection, environmental defense, and crisis response.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThese (preparing for modern warfare) are all important. But what is also important, and possibly the most important, is your love of country. That is, an officer who knows how to love his or her country despite its flaws, in the most sincere way,\u201d President Marcos said during the PMA commencement exercises at Fort del Pilar in Baguio City on Saturday.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The President recognized the 266 graduating cadets as the first to be trained in Pag-asa Island amid China\u2019s aggression in the West Philippine Sea.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n President Marcos also lauded the Siklab-Laya Class cadets for bringing honor to the PMA in international fora and competitions, including academic conferences in Palermo, Italy, and international sailing regattas in Italy and India.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBut beyond recognition, the most important lesson you carry is the understanding that warfare today goes beyond land, seas, and skies. We have battles that are invisible to radar\u2014ones that take place in cyberspace, in protecting information, in safeguarding the environment, and in helping communities during crises,\u201d the Commander-in-Chief said.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPhysical strength and agility are no longer enough. What we need just as much\u2014are your mental sharpness and your compassion,\u201d President Marcos continued.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n After directing the PMA last year to review the curriculum in the face of emerging challenges, President Marcos noted that the cadet training now includes courses \u201conce unseen in the military academy,\u201d such as artificial intelligence, drone operations, strategic thinking, and ethical leadership.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOur country needs men and women who put their country and others above themselves; who sacrifice for the good of all; and who overcome odds because they believe in the bright future ahead,\u201d the President added.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The President awarded the Presidential Saber to class valedictorian, Cadet First Class Jessie R. Ticar Jr., who is only the fourth cadet to graduate summa cum laude in PMA\u2019s history.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Commander-in-Chief called Ticar an example of grit, discipline, and love for the country.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n As part of tradition, the President granted a ceremonial pardon of punishment, officially sending off the PMA Siklab-Laya Class to serve the nation.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The PMA said that of the 266 graduating cadets, 137 will join the Philippine Army, 71 will serve in the Philippine Navy, and 58 will become part of the Philippine<\/strong> Air Force. <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The PMA Siklab-Laya Class of 2025<\/strong> is comprised of 212 male cadets and 54 female cadets.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. hailed the PMA Siklab-Laya Class of 2025 as “a class of many firsts” and urged them to prepare for modern<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13864"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13864"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13864\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13866,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13864\/revisions\/13866"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/journaldailynewsonline.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}