CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: Full college scholarship with pay while studying, a guaranteed job after graduation and a progressive career as Officer in the Philippine Army, Navy or Air Force.
These are only some of the “come-ons” for those interested to enter the Philippine Military Academy which is now looking for cadets to compose the members of PMA Class 2011, said Maj.
Gen. Jose T. Barbieto, ommanding general of the army's 4th Infantry Division.
In line with this, the PMA is set to conduct the entrance examination for the upcoming cadets on Aug. 26, this year, in the following testing centers of Northern Mindanao: Cagayan de Oro College (COC), this city, Misamis University (MU) in Ozamiz City and MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology in Iligan City.
To qualify, applicants must be a natural-born Filipino citizen, physically fit and of good moral character, single and have never been married and stands at least 5’4” if male and 5”2” if female, at least a high school graduate with a grade point average of 85% or higher and at least 17 years old but not a day older than 22 years on April 1, 2008.
Given every last Sunday of August, the PMA Exam covers Algebra, Geometry, English Grammar and Composition, Reading and Comprehension as well as Verbal/Numerical Reasoning and Pattern Analysis.
Minimum requirements for physical fitness test include the following: pull up, flexed arm hang, sit up, sit & reach, push up for males and bench push up for females, standing long jump and the one (1) mile run.
Barbieto said applicants who passed both written and medical tests will be ranked according to their standing in the entrance exam and be made to undergo 4 years of education and training at government expense.
The PMA aims to instruct, train and develop the cadets so that each graduate will possess the character, the broad and basic military skills and the education essential to the successful pursuit of a progressive military career as a values-centered leader in selfless service to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the nation.
Immediately upon graduation from PMA, the cadets are directly commissioned as regular officers in the AFP joining any of the three branches of service of their choice: PA, PN or PAF.
Meanwhile, Maj. Sam C. Sagun, Chief of the 4ID Public Affairs Office said applications, if mailed, should reach the Office of Cadet Admission, PMA, Fort Del Pilar, Baguio City 2602, not later than two weeks before the scheduled exam.
They are also accepted online at http://www.pma.ph/ and even encouraged to save on time and cost on the part of the applicants.
Rutchie Cabahug-Aguhob, PIA -10