About 845 aspirants will take the Philippine Military Academy entrance examinations tomorrow in Bacolod, Iloilo, Kalibo and Dumaguete cities, the military said yesterday.
Maj. Enrico Gil Ileto, spokesman of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, said the increase in the number of PMA cadetship aspirants by about 100 percent is attributed to the lowering of height requirements for male and female applicants.
He said the number does not include the “walk-in” applicants, who will be accommodated at the West Negros University for those from Bacolod, Iloilo National High School, Northwestern Visayan Colleges for Kalibo, Aklan, and Siliman University for applicants from Oriental Negros.
Around 458 PMA aspirants took the examination in the four cities last year, 78 of whom passed, including 17 from Bacolod City.
The minimum height requirement for male applicants is now 5 feet and 2 inches from 5’4”, and 5 feet for female applicants from the previous 5’2”. The changes came about when it was observed that many are denied the chance to go through the first phase of the selection process, solely for not meeting the height requirement.
The PMA command also said that with the previous height requirement, many Filipino youth who have good educational background and are physically fit, are disenfranchised from taking the examination.
The lowering of the height requirement, while maintaining the PMA high standards, will open opportunities to more equally-competent aspirants, Major General Jose Mabanta Jr., acting commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command, said.
Aside from the height requirement, a candidate should be a natural-born Filipino citizen, physically fit and of good moral character, single and has never been married, at least a high school graduate, no administrative/criminal case, must pass the PMA entrance examination and should have been born between April 1, 1991 and April 1, 1996.*GPB
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