Batangas’ pride: Female cadet is PMA valedictorian

BAGUIO, Philippines – Cadet 1st Class Kaye Demisana Librada of Lipa City, Batangas, is this year’s Philippine Military Academy valedictorian, and the the eighth woman to top a PMA class.

The PMA on Wednesday, May 6, presented the following top 10 cadets of PMA Talang Dangal (Tagapagtanggol Ng Lahing Dakila at Marangal) Class of 2026, five of whom are women:

1. Christine Kaye Demisana Librada (Batangas) 2. Mark John Vincent Utlang Catacutan (Zamboanga del Sur) 3. Thomas Edgar Isla Sepulchre (Pampanga) 4. Ian Harold Durana Hubilla (Sorsogon) 5. Maeg Adriene Pajarillo Bermudez (Tarlac) 6. Cherry Mae Panag Geco (Capiz) 7. Elixa Anya Lumbang Hernandez (Batangas) 8. Catherine Liesha Beloa De Chavez (Batangas) 9. Cedric Cyril Guingguing Polizon (Surigao del Sur) 10. Mark Clement Dequinto Centina (Negros Occidental)TOP TEN. The top 10 cadets of PMA Talang Dangal Class of 2026. Mia Magdelena Fokno/Rappler

Librada, the recipient of the Presidential Saber and multiple academic and leadership awards, is the 8th female PMA valedictorian since the first batch of women cadets graduated in 1997. Her predecessors are Arlene dela Cruz (1999), Tara Velasco (2003), Andrelee Mojica (2007), Rovi Mariel Martinez (2017), Dionne Mae Apolog Umalla (2019), Gemalyn Sugui (2020), and Jeneth Elumba (2024).

A total of 207 cadets, 142 males and 65 females, will march the long gray line in Fort del Pilar on May 16.

Cordillera has the most number of graduates of PMA Class of 2026 — 23 or 11.11% of the total, followed by Calabarzon (19), while the National Capital Region, Cagayan Valley and Bicol are tied with the third most number of PMA 2026 graduates with 18 each. 

The Army got the bulk of the graduates with 76 joining the service, of which 52 are women. The Philippine Navy will absorb 69, of which 48 are women. The Philippine Air Force will be receiving 62 graduates, of which 42 are women.

Only one of the 207 graduates is a college graduate prior to admission. College undergraduates comprise 142 of the graduates while 64 graduated from senior high. – Rappler.com