PMA alumni told: True integrity tested in power

MANILA, Philippines — True integrity is measured not on the battlefield but in positions of power when nobody is watching, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson told fellow graduates of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in Baguio City yesterday.

Speaking as guest of honor at the PMA Alumni Homecoming 2026, Lacson urged alumni to uphold the academy’s core trinity of courage, integrity and loyalty, stressing that one pillar stands above the rest in public service.

“If the test of courage and loyalty transpires during times of danger, integrity is tested in positions of power and influence, especially when no one is looking,” Lacson said.

A member of PMA Class 1971, Lacson said the academy’s values must endure despite the “great divide of time and technology” separating generations of cadets.

He shared that his earliest lesson in honesty did not come from the academy but from his mother, who once made him and his brother search for the owner of a one-centavo coin they had found as children.

“The strongest foundation of integrity is best initiated at home, and even better – by the power of genuine example displayed by our parents,” he said.

Lacson, who rose from the Philippine Constabulary to become chief of the Philippine National Police and later a senator, cited leaders who exemplified ethical command, including former defense secretary Renato de Villa and Brig. Gen. Fidel Singson, whose “strong conviction and steady leadership” earned respect within the ranks.

He also recalled former defense official Jose Crisol’s warning that without integrity, a soldier becomes “a living dead.”

On courage and loyalty, Lacson honored fallen and decorated soldiers who chose “duty over survival,” including Korean War hero Capt. Conrado Yap, Marawi siege casualty Capt. Rommel Sandoval – who used his body to shield a wounded comrade – and Lt. Col. Angel Benitez, who returned to the line of fire to rescue civilians. — Neil Jayson Servallos