PMA Foundation Day

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PMA Foundation Day
Tweet Topic Started: Oct 22 2007, 09:28 AM (1,083 Views)
Dreamrider	Oct 22 2007, 09:28 AM Post #1
Member Posts: 162 Group: Regulars Member #99 Joined: August 27, 2004	By Ramon J. Farolan Inquirer Last updated 01:42am (Mla time) 10/22/2007 MANILA, Philippines - In the history of the Philippine Military Academy, only a few classes have had the honor of providing leadership for the Armed Forces by two or more of its members. During the presidency of Ramon Magsaysay, the class of 1929 of the old Philippine Constabulary Academy (PCA) had Jesus Vargas and Alfonso Arellano. The class of 1962 during the term of President Fidel Ramos had Lisandro Abadia and Arturo Enrile. The class of 1966 under President Joseph Estrada had Joselin Nazareno and Angelo Reyes. Finally, under President Macapagal-Arroyo, the class of 1970 had Roy Cimatu, Dionisio Santiago and Narciso Abaya, while the class of 1972 had Efren Abu and Generoso Senga. In the case of Abaya, while he graduated from West Point, class of 1971, he spent a year at the PMA with the class of 1970. While no member of class 1971 made it to the top AFP position, two members of the class are now senators of the land—Gregorio Honasan and Panfilo Lacson. It would have been three if Zosimo Paredes Jr. of Ang Kapatiran made it during the May elections. The governor of one of the biggest provinces in the country, Pangasinan, is a member of class 1972, Amado Espino Jr., while the mayor of one Pangasinan town, Sta. Barbara, is Reynaldo Velasco who used to be Espino’s upperclassman at the academy, a reversal of fortunes after military service. In the Medal of Valor count, the class of 1987 holds the record with three winners: Col. Custodio Parcon of the Philippine Marines and Capt. Eduard Lucero and Col. Cirilito Sobejana, both of the Philippine Army. A number of PMA graduates served as ambassadors in the Philippine foreign service. To name just a few, we have generals Manuel Yan, Fortunato Abat, Francisco Atayde, Clemente Mariano and Voltaire Gazmin. I will probably run out of space if I try to name all of them. One graduate, Gen. Angelo Reyes, not only served as AFP chief of staff but has held the most number of Cabinet positions in government. After his stint as AFP chief, he was appointed secretary of national defense after which he took over the Department of Interior and Local Government. This was followed by a posting at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and today, he is head of the Department of Energy. Angelo Reyes has cut his teeth in so many assignments that he probably has more experience than most of our Presidents in running the affairs of government. The question is: Can he be elected? What are the historical origins of this institution that has produced not just military professionals but also leaders in the civilian sector of government? For many years the Philippine Military Academy traced its roots to the Constabulary School set up by Brig. Gen. Henry T. Allen in 1905. As the PC chief then, Allen issued General Order No. 71, establishing the school in the old Sta. Lucia barracks in Intramuros. It is believed that the order was dated Feb. 17, 1905 and for this reason PMA Foundation Day had always been reckoned from that date. Sometime in 1991, Dr. Cesar Pobre, a retired AFP colonel who graduated with the class of 1952, was working for a master’s degree in history at the University of the Philippines. In the course of his research work, he discovered the fact that “as part of the major organizational efforts at modernizing the Filipino armed forces, the President of the Revolutionary Government and General-in-Chief, Emilio Aguinaldo, issued a decree on October 25, 1898 establishing an Academia Militar in the town of Malolos, Bulacan.” As a result of this discovery, Pobre published a paper entitled “A Historical Analysis of the Roots and Growth of the Philippine Military Academy.” In this paper, he was able to establish the following: (1) the date and place where the Academia Militar was established; (2) its mission and objectives; (3) the name of its designated director; (4) the date the sessions began and the sections into which the classes were divided; (5) the different subjects comprising the course of instruction; and (6) the manner of treating failures. His findings led him to believe that the Academia Militar and not the Constabulary School, had a “better title to being PMA’s historical anchor.” As expected, there were objections to re-examining PMA Foundation Day. The issue “would not only stir a hornet’s nest but it could also be divisive and inflammatory to the emotions.” Pobre, however, pointed out that “re-defining the PMA roots, like going over one’s lineage, is not a political but a historical exercise. And it will help to understand this point if it is mentioned that history is in essence the search for truth or accuracy.” Pobre’s findings on the Academia Militar were confirmed by the National Historical Institute and with the NHI’s action, the board of the PMA Alumni Association moved to have the approval of Nazareno, the AFP chief of staff then. This was followed by favorable action from the secretary of national defense, and then from the Office of the President. From the initial research work undertaken by Dr. Pobre to the final approval by President Estrada, the whole process took seven years. Incidentally the Philippine Army and Navy also trace their history back to 1897-1898, basing their existence on similar decrees laid down by President Aguinaldo. Perhaps, it is also important to mention Dr. Pobre’s credentials. At one time, Pobre was head of the PMA Academic Group and dean of the AFP Corps of Professors. He has an M.A. in History from UP and a doctorate in the same discipline from Karachi University under a SEATO postgraduate scholarship program. He was twice president of the Philippine Historical Association. * * * On Thursday, Oct. 25, the Philippine Military Academy marks its 109th foundation anniversary.



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