The Juniors

“MANANDATA”

(JOC LORENZO OC-2437 PA)

I

n response to the Philippine Army’s core purpose, class 40-2013 MANANDATA: Mandirigmang Namumuno ng Dakila at Tapat para sa Kapayapaan heeded their call to do their share of serving the people and securing the land. Class 40 took their oath on 18 May 2012 after passing all the pre-entry requirements: PAATAB, SWE, AQE, Physical and Medical Exams and most importantly the Final Deliberation. The Final Deliberation, which took place on 14 May 2012 at the Army Personnel Management Cente,r was headed by its Vice Chairman Col Peale Jon L Bondoc, Commandant, Officer Candidate School. In the said deliberation, the qualified applicants were ranked according to their performance in the selection interview conducted by the Philippine Army Officer Selection Board (PAOSB), pre-entry examinations and the results of their Physical Medical Examinations which includes Eye Refraction, EENT, Dental Examination, X-Ray, Laboratory Tests, General Physical Exam, Neuro-Psychological Exam and Physical Fitness Test.

Prior to the oath taking, initial qualified members of the class were billeted at the Army Recruitment Center at Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City to undergo regular physical conditioning routines to better prepare and acclimatize them to the year-long rigorous military training that awaited them at OCS , TRADOC. The oath taking was followed immediately by the jump off going to Capas Shrine and the traditional 6-kilometer walk going to OCS.

Class MANADATA is composed of 55 young professionals with different Educational, Ethnic, Religious and Social background; 12 of which are females and 43 are males. It is indeed true that in the field of Military, many are called but few are chosen as the 55 members of the class are the end products out of the 7,000 pooled applicants of the 10-month long recruitment endeavors conducted by the three main Army Recruitment Offices in the country: Fort Bonifacio in Manila, Camp Lapu-Lapu in Cebu, and Camp Evangelista in Mindanao. Out of the 55, 26 are from Luzon, 10 from Visayas and 19 from Mindanao. 60% of the class are licensed in their respective professions: Accountancy, Aeronautics, Education, Engineering and Nursing, 30 % are non- board degree holders and 10% are Civil Service Passers.

At present, the OCC CL 40 - 13 are under the tutelage of their Course Director, CPT ANTONIO T TIMBAL, a former exchange Officer Candidate to OCS Singapore, and their senior upperclassmen, Class 39 KABALIKAT. The class stands upon their motto “With God we learn and lead” as their guiding principle in their quest for excellence not just in the field of Military but also towards their holistic development. B

JOC LORENZO is a graduate of Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English

                      at Benguet State University.