PMA graduation: President Marcos to stress loyalty, rule of law

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — President Marcos is expected to deliver a strong message on loyalty, discipline and the rule of law when he leads the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 2026 graduation rites today at Fort del Pilar, as tensions continue to rise over the controversy involving Sen. Ronald dela Rosa.

The graduation rites come after Dela Rosa, a member of PMA “Sinagtala” Class of 1986, left Senate protective custody amid an International Criminal Court arrest order over the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. 

The incident has drawn national and international attention and placed the military and police once again under
public scrutiny.  

Dela Rosa had publicly appealed for support from fellow PMA alumni and “mistahs,” even singing the PMA hymn before reporters. 

But as a response, the PMA Alumni Association Inc. called on Cavaliers to remain “united, calm, circumspect and non-partisan” amid the controversy, stressing that graduates must continue to uphold professionalism and constitutional order.  

At the same time, members of PMA Class of 1986 released a manifesto expressing “firm and unwavering support” for their classmate and calling for fairness and due process.

The manifesto was signed by at least 78 members of the PMA class, most of them out of government, including former police chief Archie Gamboa.  

Topping this year’s graduates is 23-year-old Cadet First Class Christine Kaye Demisana Librada from Lipa City, Batangas, besting 206 others in her “Tagapagtanggol ng Lahing Dakila at Marangal” (Talang Dangal) Class of 2026.

Observers believe the President may use Librada and members of the “Talang Dangal” class of 2026 graduation rites today to remind the new batch of officers that their loyalty must remain with the Constitution and the Filipino people, especially at a time the country’s security institutions are being pulled into political conflict between the Marcos and Duterte camps.