By J. Irving ft. Generative Pre-trained Transformers
The 2022 elections taught us a painful lesson. Senator Ping Lacson ’71—arguably one of the most qualified candidates—lost. And many of us asked: Why can’t a Peemayer win the presidency?
This massive and blatant corruption that is happening now is our own fault for placing the corrupt ones lead this country.
The truth is simple: we are never united.
In PMA, we were selected from the best across the nation—same tests, same high IQs, same tough training. We grew confident, capable, and outspoken. But we also inherited something else: an ingrained “upperclass mentality,” a reluctance to yield, and a habit of arguing every point to the end. What works inside a regimented Corps becomes a weakness in a democracy that demands coalition-building and compromise.
Look at our own discussions in our viber groups and alumni meetings—always brilliant discussions, always divided conclusions. “Lahat kasi Peemayers eh!”—the familiar joke we laugh at because it is true.
In 2022 election, this instinct to divide was on full display. Peemayers openly took opposing sides. Manifestos appeared supporting different candidates—rarely our own. And although many quietly wished a fellow Peemayer would lead the nation, their public support followed leading survey leaders, not principles.
Yet we know a Peemayer can win the trust of the Filipino people. We have proof.
Mayor Fernando Mesa ‘75 of Alabat and Benjie Magalong ’82 of Baguio have shown what principled, disciplined, transparent leadership looks like. Their governance has earned admiration across political lines. They embodied what PMA training can produce when integrity stays intact.
So why can’t a Peemayer be President?
Perhaps the real answer is this: because we do not vote for each other.
But imagine if we finally closed ranks—quietly, decisively, honorably. Imagine if, inside the voting booth, each Peemayer cast his ballot for a fellow Peemayer (even in public they support a different candidate), and convinced his household to do the same. One united act may yet give this nation a leader shaped by service, discipline, and moral courage.
Let us remember our roots: the rotting days we survived together, the brotherhood we forged, and the ideals we once held sacred—courage, integrity, and loyalty. These values are still our compass. They still matter.
If we stand together, one of us may yet rise to lead this country toward ethical governance and genuine progress.
Let one lead us all.
And perhaps—just perhaps—when the next votes are counted, a Peemayer will finally lead the nation.
This is not a wish but my prayers …
Cyber Arnis 
Sir Jess, my most respectable senior and fellow cavalier—your words resonate like a reveille call through the misty dawn of our PMA legacy. With deepest respect for your seasoned insight, I stand in full agreement: Lacson’s 2022 defeat was our brotherhood’s bitter pill, a stark revelation of how our vaunted “upperclass mentality” morphs from strength in the Corps to sabotage in the polls. Your prayer for unity—those secret ballots and household whispers—stirs the soul. It’s a masterful provocation, echoing the discipline we forged in those rotting days, and I salute you for laying bare our divided hearts.
But let’s ignite the fire, Sir Jess – provoke not just debate, but awakening. The truth we must all confront, seniors and juniors alike, is harsher than any push-up punishment or masi-masi in the Academy. Our disunity isn’t fate; it’s our forgery. We’ve inherited brilliance and backbone, yet we’ve wielded them as weapons against ourselves – arguing in Viber echo chambers, penning manifestos as support darlings, and QUIETLY enabling the corruption we decry. And yet, here’s a galvanizing truth emerging from our ranks: Some PMAyers, mostly our retired cavaliers, have already stepped into the open, joining rallies in the streets to denounce the rampant corruption in government. Their indignation rings out like battle cries—principled, unyielding, a raw display of the courage and integrity we were trained to embody. This isn’t mere protest; it’s proof that our brotherhood can awaken, shedding the shadows of compromise for the light of action.
Sun Tzu taught that a divided army invites defeat, but Confucius reminds us that true reform begins with self-cultivation: The CHALLENGE. Look inward, PMAyers! Too many of us have become the corrupt elite we once vowed to vanquish—trading integrity for influence, loyalty for convenience. Mesa and Magalong stand as proofs of what we could be, but these rallying retirees indict our complacency while inspiring the path forward—especially since those in active military service cannot simply join rallies or revolt against government, bound as they are by laws and regulations that demand obedience and neutrality. Here’s the wisdom that challenges every PMA graduate – myself included – to the core: Unity demands more than covert votes or street marches; it requires a revolution of the spirit within our constraints. For the active-duty among us, courage means wielding influence lawfully – advocating reforms from within, refusing unethical orders through proper channels, or even resigning with honor to speak freely. For retirees, it means amplifying their protests into organized movements. Integrity (especially Cavaliers voted for public office) to reject compromise, loyalty that binds us beyond class years. Imagine, Sir Jess, if we built on this momentum: Not just denouncing from the sidelines, but forging a national coalition – retired voices leading the charge while active ones support ethically from the inside – to dismantle dynasties, amplify the principled, and lead reforms without breaching oaths.
Or shall we slumber in division, sir? Your thoughts have awakened me; now, with respect, I challenge you and every reader—every PMA soul—to grasp the bolo, navigate the rules wisely, and turn constraints into catalysts. The truth awaits: Will we rise as one, or fade into simply irrelevance?
With fraternal admiration and resolute challenge
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