The Female Cadets

The passage of Republic Act No. 7192 granted women in the Philippines equal access to the service academies such that in April 1993, the first batch of female cadets were accepted by the Philippine Military Academy.

It has only been lately that women have started to venture into this rigorous Spartan way of life. The Academy recognizes this change in trend and is doing its best to provide equal opportunities for both men and women.

From being a male-dominated bastion of military thought and tradition, the Academy is now home to both sexes.

With the entrance of the female cadets, numerous adjustments needed to be done not only in the physical training but also in many other aspects to accommodate the very different needs of the female sex.

The Physical Fitness Training had to be restudied to make it work for both sexes, new female barracks were constructed and female Tactical Officers were brought in. With the numerous changes that the Academy underwent, it is no wonder that because of the presence of women, the Academy has become a topic of public interest.

The female cadets also underwent basically the same training as their male counterparts. Whatever adjustments had to be done were minimal. Trained to become future officers of the Armed Forces, they undergo the same physical fitness tests, are made to walk the same rugged mountain trails and dusty roads during foot marches and attend the same academic classes as their classmates. No distinction is made between sexes in terms of punishments and demerits as well as rewards and merits.

Since women were accepted in 1993, female cadets have since graduated with the classes of 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000. The first female cadet to hold the distinction of graduating at the top of her class is Arlene A. Dela Cruz who belonged to the Class of 1999.

With what Arlene has accomplished as a cadet, this young Filipina woman was able to prove in just a short time that women were just as good and as qualified as their male counterparts and in her particular case, she has without doubt proven herself to be one of the top-notched cadets that the Philippine Military Academy has ever had.

Just like their male counterparts, these female graduates were commissioned as regular officers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Together with their male counterparts, they will stand among the revered alumni and be stalwart defenders of the Academy's ideals of courage, integrity, and loyalty.