‘Because I am the GOAT’: Sagada cadet overcomes poverty, loss to graduate from PMA

BAGUIO, Philippines – When Army Cadet First Class Reggie Bolinget walked across Borromeo Field on Saturday, May 16, as part of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Talang Dangal Class of 2026, the applause from the crowd grew louder than usual.

Asked why he thought people clapped so hard for him, the 23-year-old cadet from Sagada, Mountain Province, laughed and answered with confidence sharpened by years of struggle.

“Because I am the GOAT — greatest of all time.”

But Bolinget was not talking about medals, rankings, or fame.

Officially, he is known inside the Academy as the class goat — the cadet who graduates last in a class of 207. In PMA tradition, the title has long carried a mix of humor, resilience, and symbolism.

But for Bolinget, it became something else entirely: proof that finishing the race matters more than where you started.

Behind the jokes and cheers is the story of a boy raised through hardship, family sacrifice, and quiet determination in the mountains of Sagada.

Bolinget, a graduate of the Cordillera Regional Science High School in La Trinidad, Benguet, grew up in a broken family and struggled financially while trying to finish his education.

Years before wearing the gray uniform, he carried lumber, mixed cement, and worked construction and carpentry jobs to support himself and continue schooling.

At one point, financial hardship delayed his education entirely.

He also failed to enter the PMA on his first try during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to his father, Michael Bolinget, a welder based in Baguio City.

But he tried again. This time, he made it.

Inside Fort Del Pilar, Bolinget said he discovered a different version of himself.

As Hawk Company Intelligence Officer, Military Training Officer, and member of the Baseball and Judo Corps Squad, he learned discipline, leadership, and perseverance while surviving the rigid demands of military life.

Still, one loss followed him all the way to graduation day.

His grandmother, the woman he credits most for raising and supporting him, died a month before he could finally march the long gray line.

When asked what he would tell her if she were still alive, Bolinget paused before answering softly in Filipino.

“Andito na po, Lola. Graduate na po ang apo n’yo (I’m here, Grandma. Your grandson is now a graduate),” he said. “The child you took care of before was supposed to take care of you someday, but you’re no longer here.”

He added, “Despite that, I’m still grateful, and I dedicate this graduation to her.”

Around him on graduation day stood relatives who helped carry him through life’s hardest years, including his aunt, Janet Carap, who helped raise him.

His mother, Janet Bolinget, a former weaver from Sagada, said she was proud to finally see him achieve his dreams.

“Nakatapos na siya. Na-achieve niya mga goals niya (He’s graduated. He’s achieved his goals),” she said.

His father recalled bringing him to welding and construction jobs when he was younger so he would understand the realities of hard work.

“I am very proud of my son,” Michael Bolinget said in Ilocano. “He learned how hard life is. So, when opportunities came, he learned to persevere.”

Now preparing to join the Philippine Army, Bolinget said the hardships that once threatened to stop him became the very things that pushed him forward.

To young people facing the same struggles, he offered a message rooted in personal experience: “Challenges depend on the decisions people make. You can either let them defeat you or work harder to overcome them and move forward instead of backward.”

Officially, Cadet Reggie Bolinget graduated No. 207 out of 207.

But on Borromeo Field on Saturday morning, many in the crowd seemed to agree with his joke: the class goat has become one of the unforgettable faces of PMA Talang Dangal Class of 2026. – Rappler.com