PMA’S FIRST FEMALE SUMMA CUM LAUDE RETURNS AS CADET COMMANDANT

BAGUIO CITY — She left the Philippine Military Academy with its highest academic honors. Twenty-nine years later, Colonel Leah L. Santiago has returned to help shape its future officers—making history anew as its first female Commandant of Cadets.

Santiago assumed the post on October 17, 2026, at Fort General Gregorio H. del Pilar, adding another first to a military career spanning infantry leadership, field artillery, personnel management, and military education.

A member of PMA “KALASAGLAHI” Class of 1997, Santiago belonged to the pioneering class that produced the academy’s first female graduates. She graduated summa cum laude, becoming the first woman to earn the distinction at PMA.

Now, the former Charlie Company cadet is entrusted with overseeing the military training, discipline, accountability, and leadership development of the Cadet Corps, according to the academy’s Public Affairs Office.

This is not her first historic return. From 2016 to 2019, Santiago served as PMA’s first female Senior Tactical Officer, gaining direct experience in supervising and developing cadets. Her latest appointment follows years of service in operational and administrative posts across the Philippine Army and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

After being commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1997, Santiago began her military career with the 30th Infantry Battalion, 4th Infantry Division. She served as platoon leader and executive officer of Bravo Company before becoming its company commander.

She later commanded the 9th Field Artillery Battery (Provisional) of the Army Artillery Regiment in Sulu. Her subsequent assignments included executive officer and deputy of the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel, G1, and director of the Personnel Management Center.

Before returning to PMA, she served as the Philippine Army’s Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel, G1. Alongside her military assignments, Santiago pursued further education, earning three master’s degrees: Public Management, major in Development Security, from the Development Academy of the Philippines; Strategic Studies from the Australian National University; and Business Administration from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business.

She also completed the Field Artillery Basic and Advanced Courses, Military Intelligence Officer Course, Command and General Staff Course, and specialized military training in Australia. Her professional development includes gender and development planning and budgeting at the Miriam College Women and Gender Institute.

As Commandant of Cadets, Santiago will help prepare future officers for the increasingly complex demands of national defense, with emphasis on military proficiency, character, and leadership. Her appointment marks another milestone for women in the AFP, bringing one of PMA’s pioneering female graduates into a senior role in developing its next generation of military leaders.

For Santiago, the journey has come full circle: from standing in the academy’s ranks to taking responsibility for those who will march after her.