PMA event ‘politicized’ with guests VP, Danding

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City – Vice President Jejomar Binay, an adopted member of Philippine Military Academy class of 1988, gave the keynote address at the 2013 alumni homecoming of the PMA here yesterday,Feb. 16 making the occasion a political event.

Binay, who was also recently accepted as honorary member of the PMA Alumni Association Inc. together with business tycoon Eduardo Cojuangco Jr., took his oath together with Cojuangco during the annual gathering of all graduates of the premier military training institution in the country.

The PMAAI board in its resolution number 12-47 on Jan. 15 at Camp Aguinaldo approving the adoption of Binay and Cojuangco as honorary members of the alumni association cited that the Vice President was nominated to be an honorary member by PMA Classes 1951, 1952, 1953 and 1954 while Cojuangco was nominated by PMA Classes 1988, 1971 and 1973.

Both Binay and Cojuangco satisfied the requirements and criteria provided under the new bylaws of PMAAAI for honorary membership, the resolution said.

The presence of Binay, leader of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) fielding its senatorial slate in the mid-term polls this May, “politicized” the avowed “non-political” and “shielded from politics” stance of the graduates even as among them are politicians in the national and local levels, observers said.

Cojuangco’s coming at the Borromeo Field where the alumni and their adopted “mistahs” complicated the no-politics policy at the PMA as the business tycoon is also the leader of the Nationalist Peoples' Coalition, fielding several of its members in the senate under the Liberal Party Coalition against Binay’s UNA.

Key figures running in the 2013 polls who are adoptees of PMA classes are: Sen. Loren Legarda (’69); Sen. Francis Escudero (’87); Rep. JV Ejercito (’88); Margarita Conjuangco (’83); Rep. Cynthia Villar (wife of Sen. Manny Villar of class ’76);

DILG Sec. Mar Roxas, an adopted member of class ’84, and leader of the Liberal Party, was guest of honor during the PMA’s annual general membership meeting at Camp Aguinaldo on February 8. The official was present with his “mistahs” during the alumni homecoming before the May 2010 polls when he ran but lost against Binay.

Binay and Roxas are expected to have another face-off in the presidential polls in 2016.

Graduates from the PMA who are running this May are Gregorio Honasan (‘71) and Antonio Trillanes (’95).

Captain Lynette Flores, PMA spokesperson however said, “We are discouraging politicking so that political color will not ruin the solemnity of the event,” she said earlier.

For the past years, PMA has been actively campaigning against overt politicking in its events.

However, the presence of politicians during these events highlight the difficulty of insulating the PMA from politics.