Aerocadet First Class Cedric Cyril G. Polizon marched across the Borromeo Field on Saturday, May 16, carrying the profound grief of losing both parents during his cadetship. Despite the tragedy and a medical condition that threatened to end his military career, Polizon graduated as the Top 9 and cum laude of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) "Talang Dangal" (Tagapagtanggol ng Lahing Dakila at Marangal) Class of 2026.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the commencement exercises at Fort General Gregorio H. del Pilar, commissioning 207 new ensigns and second lieutenants into the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Among them, Polizon stood out not just for his academic and leadership achievements but for surviving a grueling four-year journey marred by successive family tragedies.

Polizon, who served as the Deputy Regimental Commander of the Cadet Corps, grew up in the humble town of Tagbina, Surigao del Sur. His family ran a small restaurant near the local market. As a child, he and his four siblings fetched buckets of water for their business, and he collected scrap metal and plastic to buy cheap toys.

“I did not do it out of hardship nor for survival because my parents were able to provide our basic needs, but in those acts, I was already learning the value of hard work and effort,” Polizon said.

His late mother was a patient university teacher while his late father was a former municipal councilor. Inspired by their dedication to public service, Polizon aspired to become a leader. His road to the academy, however, required immense persistence. He failed the PMA application twice.

“As long as there is still a chance, I would take it,” Polizon recalled telling himself, trying for a third time.

Before he entered the academy, his mother was already battling kidney failure. The financial benefits of the scholarship motivated him to pursue the PMA to ease the burden on his family.

On May 30, 2022, after his third attempt and five years into his mother’s illness, he received his acceptance email.

His mother’s face lit up with happiness on her hospital bed upon hearing the news. But less than two weeks later, on June 12, 2022, she passed away.

“Looking back, it always seemed that she had held on just long enough to know that I would become a PMA cadet,” Polizon said.

He was ordered to report to Fort Del Pilar just eight days after her death. He carried that heavy grief through the brick gates, constantly thinking of his mother during the grueling New Cadets Battalion (NCBN), a basic cadet training, and plebehood.

“There were even moments that I would think about my mother even in the middle of ‘mase-mase’,” Polizon said, referring to the slang term of mass exercise, or the prolonged, intensive, and often unstructured mass physical training of the cadets.

Tragedy struck a second time during his third class cadet year (sophomore or second year). While sitting in a classroom, Polizon received the news that his father had also died. The sudden loss of his remaining parent left him completely shattered.

“Everything literally went blank that time. I could not hear nor focus my eyes on anything. I did not know what to do. I wanted to stop being a cadet for a time,” Polizon said. “But cadetship does not pause for grief, you still have duty and responsibilities to take.”

He credited his "mistahs" (classmates) and fellow cadets for staying by his side to help him navigate the intense emotional toll of being an orphan.

Shortly after his father's death, Polizon faced another crisis. A routine Annual Physical Exam revealed a heart condition that required advanced medical testing. The PMA Station Hospital personnel informed him that his medical status could lead to a discharge from the Academy.

“At that point in my life, I had already lost both of my parents, and now I was facing the possibility of losing the very dream I had fought so hard for,” Polizon said. “I was greatly challenged. But I surrendered everything to God. And by His grace, I was able to come back and continue.”

Polizon rebounded from these setbacks to earn the Superintendent’s List and Starman award, the highest academic and all-around distinction a cadet can achieve at the PMA, at the end of his yearling (sophomore) year.

“It was a proof that no hardship is too great when you continue to persevere and trust God,” Polizon said.

Polizon is not the only member of his family to serve the country. His older brother graduated with the PMA Class of 2019. His remaining siblings are also pursuing higher education, with one sister studying at their local university and their youngest sibling enrolled at the University of the Philippines Visayas.

“Even without our parents, my siblings and I have been able to sustain ourselves and kept moving forward,” Polizon said. “Despite everything we have been through, we remained strong and united because we now have only ourselves.”

The PMA ‘Talang Dangal’ Class of 2026 consists of 142 males and 65 females. From this batch, 76 will join the Philippine Army, 62 will enter the Philippine Air Force, and 69 will serve in the Philippine Navy.

As an aerocadet, Polizon looked forward to entering the Philippine Air Force despite the absence of the two people who inspired his journey.

“I am happy and proud but I am also sad because my parents are no longer here to witness this moment,” Polizon said. “I know, though, that they are proud. And that is enough for me.”