BACOLOD City – A total of 269 cadets of the Philippine Military Academy’s (PMA) “Masidlawin” Class of 2020 are touring Negros Occidental as they conduct various community activities.
The cadets will be in the province until tomorrow. They started their Philippine Southern Tour last Thursday.
Lieutenant Colonel Reynaldo Balido, chief of PMA’s Public Affairs Office, said the cadets were given the opportunity to visit selected cities in Visayas and Mindanao to learn about military units, especially the “customs and traditions,” in the areas.
City Administrator John Orola welcomed Balido and 10 cadets who are residents of Bacolod, Bago and Iloilo cities at the Bacolod City Government Center on Thursday.
Orola currently sits as the officer-in-charge at city hall while Mayor Evelio Leonardia is on official leave.
On the same day, the cadets held silent drills and community development activities, opened recruitment booths, and launched the Host Parents Program.
The following day, they performed silent drills at the Manuel Y. Torres Sports Complex in Bago City.
They held the same activity at the Provincial Capitol Lagoon and Park in Bacolod at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Back to Bago, the cadets laid a wreath at the monument of General Juan Araneta, set up a recruitment booth, and conducted a coastal cleanup in Barangay Sampinit.
The cadets also launched the Host Parents Program at Bago’s Bantayan Park at 5 p.m. on the same day.
The Host Parent Program aims to give cadets their “home away from home.” It also gave them the chance to socialize with other people to enhance their social and cultural development.
Tomorrow, the cadets will be back to Bacolod for a city tour and a tree-growing activity in Barangay Alangilan. (With a report from PNA/PN)
