PMA CADETS. Bacolod City Administrator John Orola (seated, center) welcomes Lt. Col. Reynaldo Balido, chief of PMA Public Affairs Office, with the 10 cadets of Class 2020 at the Bacolod City Government Center on Thursday (May 17, 2018). (Photo courtesy of Bacolod City PIO)
BACOLOD CITY -- The 269 cadets of the Philippine Military Academy’s (PMA) “Masidlawin” Class of 2020 are conducting various community activities in Negros Occidental until May 21 as part of their southern tour.
Lt. Col. Reynaldo Balido, chief of PMA’s Public Affairs Office, said the cadets were given the opportunity to tour selected cities in Visayas and Mindanao to learn about the various military units in these areas and their customs and traditions.
Balido, with 10 cadets from the cities of Bacolod, Bago, and Iloilo, visited the Bacolod City Government Center on Thursday where they met with City Administrator John Orola.
They held silent drills and community development activities, opened recruitment booths, and launched the Host Parents Program.
On Friday, some of the cadets performed silent drills at the Manuel Y. Torres Sports Complex in Bago, and will hold the same activity at the Provincial Capitol Lagoon and Park in Bacolod at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
In Bago, the cadets laid a wreath at the monument of General Juan Araneta, set up a recruitment booth, and conducted a coastal clean-up in Barangay Sampinit.
On Saturday, they will launch the Host Parents Program at Bago’s Bantayan Park at 5 p.m.
The Host Parent Program aims to give cadets their second home away from home and give them the opportunity to socialize with other people to enhance their social and cultural development.
On May 21, the cadets will be back in Bacolod for a city tour, and tree-growing activity in Barangay Alangilan.
The “Masidlawin” Class includes two cadets from Bacolod City, one from Bago City, five from Iloilo City, and two from Antique. (PNA)
