PMA Alumni Told: True Integrity Tested In Power

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 on Saturday, Feb. 21.

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.

“If courage pushes us forward, loyalty teaches us why we stay – or go back – even at the risk of our lives,” he said, adding that true courage “requires no command.”

PMA Superintendent Vice Admiral Caesar Bernard Valencia said Lacson’s decades-long career in law enforcement and the legislature offers a model for the cadet corps.

“Your presence today is not only an honor to this homecoming but a powerful reminder to cadets that the lessons learned within these halls can shape a lifetime of principled leadership,” Valencia said.

The annual gathering drew hundreds of alumni – from retired generals to young officers – for class parades, fellowship and awarding rites.

Lifetime Achievement Awards were conferred on CAV Jose Lapus ’65, CAV Danilo Abinoja ’74, CAV Ferdinand Golez ’76 and CAV Leopoldo Bataoil ’76, along with other Cavalier awardees in military and civilian fields.

The oldest alumnus present was 92-year-old retired Col. Filoteo Arevalo of Class 1956, who attended with five sons who are also PMA graduates. – With an additional report from Neil Jayson Servallos