Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Registered nurse, son of Iloilo farmer, tops 2018 PMA grads

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 14): Registered nurse, son of Iloilo farmer, tops 2018 PMA grads



PMA GRADS 2018. Cadet Jaywardene Balilea Hontoria (6th from left) of Pavia Iloilo leads the Philippine Military Academy's ‘Alab Tala’ Class of 2018 who will graduate on Sunday (March 18, 2018). The graduating class is composed of 282 members, of which 207 male and 75 female. Photo shows this year's top graduates. From left, C1CL Micah Reynaldo, C1CL Paolo Briones, C1CL Jezairah Buenaventura, C1CL Leonore Japitan, C1CL Ricardo Liwaden, C1CL Jun-Jay Castro, C1CL Mark Jantzen Dacillo, C1CL Jessie Laranang, C1CL Jayson Cimatu, C1CL Jasm Marie Alcoriza (rightmost), and C1CL Christian Michael Peña (solo at back). (File photo by Pamela Mariz Geminiano)

A registered nurse and son of a farmer from Pavia, Iloilo will lead the 2018 graduating class of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) as valedictorian on Sunday, officials announced on Wednesday.

Cadet Jaywardene Balilea Hontoria, son of farmer Oscar and housewife Nancy, will also receive 11 other awards -- the Presidential Saber, Chief of Staff Saber, Philippine Navy Saber, Academic Group Award, Australian Defence Best Overall Performance Award, Spanish Armed Forces Award, Humanities Plaque, Natural Sciences Plaque, Social Sciences Plaque, JUSMAG Award, and the Department of Leadership Award.


Hontoria will lead on Sunday 282 members of the “Alab Tala” or “Alagad ng Lahing Binigkis ng Tapang at Lakas” graduating class for this year of the country's premier military institution.

Hontoria first obtained his license as a nurse and was an enlisted member of the Philippine Coast Guard for three months prior to joining the academy as a cadet. He said his prior experience and credential had further prepared him to be an officer in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). He was the brigade commander of the academy during his first class year (4th year) at the PMA.

“As a brigade commander, they look up to you," the graduating PMA cadet noted. "So, you have to claim that you are their leader. If you are given a job, just do your job.”

He said being a registered nurse was an advantage for him because of the rigid academic examinations he had undergone as a nurse. He added that his years in the undergraduate program of West Visayas State University had helped him intellectually, being bombarded with hectic schedules and preparing him for the academy life.

Graduating number 2 on Sunday is cadet Ricardo Liwaden of Barlig Mountain Province. Liwaden is set to receive the Vice Presidential Saber, Philippine Army Saber, Sports and Physical Development Plaque, Tactics Group Award, and Athletic Saber.

Finishing number 3 is C1CL Jun-Jay Castro from Amulung Cagayan. Castro will receive the Secretary of National Defense Saber.

Fourth in rank is C1CL Leonore Japitan of Butuan City. Japitan will receive a management plaque.

Number 5 is C1CL Mark Dacillo from Zamboanga City.

Taking the 6th rank is C1CL Jezaira Buenaventura from Bais Negros Oriental. She will receive special awards, namely, the Department of Tactical Officers Plaque, Aguinaldo Saber, and the Distinguished Cadet award.

Number 7, C1CL Jessie Laranang from San Clemente, Tarlac will receive the Philippine Air Force Saber.

C1CL Paolo Briones from Baguio City, number 8; C1CL Jayson Cimatu of Casiguran, Aurora, number 9; and C1CL Micah Quiambao Reynaldo from Bamban, Tarlac, number 10. Reynaldo will also receive the Australian Defence Best Overall Performance Award of the Philippine Air Force.


Other special awardees are C1CL Christian Michael Olarte Peña of Legazpi City, Albay for Journalism and C1CL Jasm Marie Alcoriza of Bacolod City as the female athletic saber.

PMA Supt. Lt. Gen. Donato San Juan said the training in the academy does not only train the cadets academically but physically as well, preparing them for the real life of a soldier.

“We expect no less from them when they are assigned in the field,” San Juan said.

Class “Alab Tala” originally had 346 members, who reported in April 2014 out of the 21,571 applicants.

From the 282 who are graduating on Sunday, 143 are joining the Philippine Army, 71 are going to the Air Force, and 68, including class valedictorian Hontoria, are joining the Philippine Navy.

Of the 282 graduating cadets, 207 are male and 75 are female.


http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1028604

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