Lacson: Integrity is Tested in Positions of Power and Influence

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City – Integrity is not proven in combat alone – it is tested most in positions of power and influence, especially if no one is watching.

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson stressed this Saturday in his speech at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Alumni Homecoming here, with the theme “Fostering Unity and Excellence: Strengthening Bonds and Advancing Traditions.”

“If the test of courage and loyalty transpires during times of danger, integrity is tested in positions of power and influence, especially when no one is looking,” said Lacson, who has placed a premium on integrity in his decades in public service.

“Courage and loyalty – two out of three values that stand equally in the hearts of every Cavalier. Yet if I may speak candidly, between you and me, I have always held the third one closest to my heart and above the rest. And that is INTEGRITY,” he added, recalling how he learned this value as a child, even before entering the PMA.

In Filipino: Lacson: Integridad, Nasusubok sa Pwesto ng Kapangyarihan at Impluwensya

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Speech at the PMA Alumni Homecoming 2026

The Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines, General Romeo S. Brawner Jr.; the Chief of the Philippine National Police, Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez; the Superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy, Vice Admiral Caesar Bernard Valencia; *PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, Baguio Mayor Benjie Magalong, Major Service Commanders*, my fellow Cavaliers and alumni of our most revered institution, the Philippine Military Academy, members of the host classes for this year, the Cadet Corps, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and all the cadet girls present, especially my beautiful wife Alice, who is also here; Chairman of PMAAAI Admiral Ramon Punzalan and other officers of PMAAAI subsidiaries, the organizers of the Alumni Homecoming 2026, *Medal of Valor awardees*, ~and the host classes~; and pardon my arrogance, the best and snappiest class, at least for today, good morning to all.

It is an honor to stand behind this podium once more with great pride in this memory-filled Borromeo Field as a Cavalier among Cavaliers, as I did when I was also your Guest of Honor and Speaker exactly 12 years ago. I can still remember when I applied for admission into the Academy in mid-1966.

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A Test of One’s Character

People who get overwhelmed by hate and anger sometimes tend to take a break from their conscience and forget their sense of decency and decorum.

A person’s self-management of pain and pressure could also be a test of one’s character.

Scoffing the dead does not only run counter to existing jurisprudence; an overt act of disinterring a dead human body is unlawful. Most importantly, it goes against the age-old Filipino culture of giving utmost respect for the dead. This, we cannot tolerate.

I have always told my subordinates that the ultimate test of a person’s character is this: give him power and offer him money. If he passes the ‘two-way test’, he is truly a person of integrity.

Tungkulin ng sundalo na ipagtanggol ang bayan at ihubog ang kabataan tungo sa maayos na kinabukasan.

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Kagalang-Galang na Lider ng Bayan ang Bunga ng Pag-aaral na Marangal na Panuntunan ang Batayan Kahit Anong Pagsubok Man ang Pagdaanan