New PMA Superintendent Logico, the 'Barefoot' General, Vows to Tackle Modern Threats

Army Maj. Gen. Michael Logico — Gabryelle Dumalag BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — The Philippine Military Academy (PMA) received its new superintendent during turnover rites on Wednesday, with the retirement of Navy Vice Adm. Caesar Bernard Valencia. Valencia, a member of PMA “Bigkis Lahi” Class of 1990, served as superintendent starting June 20, 2024. His military career spans 40 years and three months, said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jesse Nestor Saludo Jr., PMA spokesperson. Army Maj. Gen. Michael Logico, the new superintendent of the country’s premier military training school, is known not just for his staunch defense of the West Philippine Sea against China but also for promoting physical fitness and nontraditional barefoot running or natural running that earned him the nickname “barefoot colonel,” according to different news accounts. READ: PNP welcomes Nafarrete’s appointment as new AFP chief Logico is a member of PMA “Maalab” Class of 1993 and has been commander of the Army Training Command. He was promoted to lieutenant general by Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Antonio Nafarrete at the ceremonial change of command. Nafarrete, also a member of Bigkis Lahi, had just assumed office following the retirement on Tuesday of Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., the Baguio-born salutatorian of PMA “Makatao” Class of 1989. The military school command tradition began when Logico ordered PMA staff to raise his personal flag after his predecessor, Valencia, lowered his own flag to signify that he had relinquished his post. Valencia was also given a testimonial parade by the Corps of Cadets. READ: Marcos tells 2026 PMA grads: Loyalty to Constitution, not to anyone It was under Valencia’s watch that the PMA overhauled its road map under the instructions of President Marcos and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. in order to develop a new curriculum that would equip modern officers with skills that would enable them to combat modern threats like cyberterrorism. Logico, in his speech, vowed to continue the academic reforms begun by Valencia but said the milestone of his new assignment was the presence there of his father, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Epineto Logico, a member of PMA Class of 1960. While internal security remains a military task, its attention has shifted to external threats, he said in his speech, now that “the battlefield has broadened to physical and nonphysical threats.” Like many children of soldiers, Logico said tales of the values, honor and traditions at the PMA shaped his points of view long before he entered the academy. But given the changing, volatile world of today, the new PMA superintendent said “traditions should not be obstacles to change” so the military school can begin training cadets to face the future “and not the past we all remember.” Nafarrete described the PMA as the “cradle of military leadership,” which is slowly adapting to global changes without abandoning the honor, humility, and integrity it espoused more than a century ago. —VINCENT CABREZA