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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider PMA batch '25 valedictorian aspires to be AFP Chief someday

PMA batch '25 valedictorian aspires to be AFP Chief someday

Published May 28, 2025 12:11 pm
Second Lt. Jessie Ticar Jr. (Photo: Martin Sadongdong / MANILA BULLETIN)
Second Lt. Jessie Ticar Jr. (Photo: Martin Sadongdong / MANILA BULLETIN)

The sky is the limit for Second Lieutenant Jessie Ticar Jr., the valedictorian of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Siklab-Laya Class of 2025, who is now poised to serve as a platoon leader in the Philippine Army (PA).

With aspirations of one day becoming the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), he aims to lead the nation’s soldiers in the future.

Ticar visited the AFP General Headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Tuesday, May 27, where he spoke with members of the media about his personal aspirations and career goals.

“I plan to serve and focus on being a junior officer in the Philippine Army as a platoon leader, leading his men on the field,” he said in Filipino.

“Eventually, I would develop myself so that I could serve for as long as I can. And I wish to serve until I reach the highest position, which is the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” he added.

“General Ticar” -- not bad, right?
During his graduation last May 17 at Fort del Pilar in Baguio City, Ticar got the chance to meet current AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr.

Ticar shared that his passion to lead and serve was greatly inspired by his experience in the Scout Ranger Orientation Course during his time at the academy.

“In the academy, we conducted a Scout Ranger Orientation Course in Bulacan. In our orientation course, I further developed my desire to serve the Philippine Army and to lead people. I loved the idea of leading my troops on the field,” he said.

The 23-year-old native of Quezon City graduated as a summa cum laude of the PMA, only the fourth to do so in the academy’s 127-year history. He also had the highest grade point average (GPA) among the four.

His mother, Anita, is a vendor who sells ballpens and envelopes in front of the Quezon City Hall while his father, Jesse, had a stroke and became a person with disability (PWD), losing his job as a taxi driver.

“Before, I could only communicate with my parents through chats and messages. But I was able to talk to them during my graduation since they came to support me. Finally, I got to be with them after a long time of my stay in the academy,” Ticar said.

Now that Ticar is in the Army, he hopes to lift his family out of poverty as a means of giving back to his parents who, he said, sacrificed so much so he could finish his studies.

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Jessie Ticar Jr. PMA valedictorian AFP Chief of Staff
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