AFP chief confident PMA Class 2019 will serve PH well

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte salutes the graduates of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) ‘Mabalasik’ Class of 2019 as they form the “Long Gray Line” during the commencement exercises at Fort General Gregorio Del Pilar in Baguio City on May 26, 2019. ACE MORANDANTE/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff Gen. Benjamin Madrigal, Jr. is confident that all 261 graduates of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Mabalasik Class” of 2019 will do well and serve the country faithfully, in whatever branch of service they will opt to join.

“Being an alumnus myself, I am confident that the Academy has prepared each one of them to be “fleet-ready, field-ready, and squadron-ready,” he said in a statement to reporters late Monday.

Madrigal, a member of PMA Class of 1985, also welcomed the new military officers into the AFP and expressed confidence that they will rise up to every challenge in their careers.

The PMA Class of 2019 formally graduated on Sunday at the grounds of Fort Del Pilar, Baguio City.

“The unfolding chapter of their career will be full of challenges that will test their mettle, as well as opportunities for further learning,” the AFP chief added.

From this point, Madrigal said these new officers will be deployed in rural communities and be given the chance to address the persisting problems and root causes of conflict in the country, many of which can change their perspective, present them with hard choices, and, in some cases, sacrifice their lives.

“In all these, I hope that they will never forget the Honor Code and the character that was built upon them and “hold the trust long after they have left the long gray line.

Ultimately, in the face of the hardest of challenges to their life, dignity, and integrity, be guided by the Academy’s Core Values of selfless service, honor, and excellence,” the AFP chief said.