CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The threat brought about by the pandemic did not hinder the 1,221 young men and women from Northern Mindanao and Caraga regions to take the annual Philippine Military Academy (PMA) entrance examination in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Bayugan last week, the Army’s 4th Infantry Division (4ID) said Wednesday, Sept. 22.
Some 521 aspirants took the exam at the 4ID headquarters gym in Cagayan de Oro City on Sept. 15-18 and another 600 took the exam at the Lope A. Asis gym in Bayugan City on Sept. 16 to 18.
Out of the 521registered online applicants from Cagayan only 315 showed up on examination day which paved the way to accommodate 206 walk-in applicants, of the 5499 online registrants only 254 showed up in Bayugan City, some 346 walk-in examinees were accommodated.
The 4ID said this is the second time that the PMAEE was held during the pandemic.
“Last year’s data for Cagayan de Oro showed that out of the 698 regular applicants, only 390 reported for the exam or 55.78 percent,” the 4ID noted, adding that there were 168 walk-in applicants who reported for the exam for a total of 558 examinees in 2020.
While in Bayugan only 317 of the 553 regular applicants took the exam with 355 walk-in applicants which totaled 672 examinees.
Maj. Julesther Canada, officer-in-charge of the PMA team in Cagayan de Oro, said that the PMA’s cadet recruitment and admission accepted exam registration via online, mail, and walk-in applications.
“This is to give all interested applicants a chance to take the exam,” Canada said.
He added that aspiring cadets were determined to take the exam despite the Covid-19 restrictions.
“Prior to the pandemic, Cagayan de Oro City produced more than one thousand examinees each year. The low turnout of applicants was attributed to the health crisis. The minimum health requirement for an applicant for the year 2021 to be allowed to enter the exam venue is a negative antigen test,” Canada said.
For those still interested and qualified, there will be PMAEE next year, they may start now their preparations to be ready to take the challenge, he added.
In his statement, Maj. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., 4ID commander, said that the PMA entrance exam is the first stage in the recruitment process for a cadetship.
He said that this year’s PMAEE is different from the usual conduct of examination due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The previous one-day event became a four-day activity to comply with the proper protocols implemented to fight and counter the spread of the pandemic, Brawner said.
“This annual entrance examination nationwide is conducted to select the best and the brightest youths to compose the PMA class of 2026. We salute the determination of those who took the PMAEE. More than the free college education with a well-rounded curriculum and monthly pay and allowances, they will have the noble privilege of serving the country and its people, to have a progressive career as part of the Officer Corps in the Army, Air Force or Navy and lead soldiers to sustain peace and development in our country,” the general added.
