"What The ACF Is All About"

The Academy Cavaliers' Forum or ACF is an unmoderated and free-wheeling discussion group and mailing list on the Internet which was conceived and created to further bond together in close camaraderie and friendship all those who trace their roots to the Philippine Military Academy. It is through the ACF that Academy alumni and former or current faculty members and officers of PMA group together to communicate with each other through the medium of electronic mail. Among them there is an ongoing exchange of information, ideas, commentaries, and discussions covering a broad base of subject matters of interest to the members.

The ACF is reputed to be one of the most lively and animated discussion groups found in the Internet. Members of the Forum come from different parts of the world ... Cavaliers who now work and reside in countries such as Spain, United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Singapore, Iceland, Thailand, and Australia. There are also other members who are on assignment or on study detail in some of these countries. In the Philippines, the ACF has members from Metro Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao, Zamboanga, and Baguio City.

The current listing of ACF members include graduates from the Class of 1955 up to 1996. The Classes of 1983, 1984, and 1988 have the largest number of representatives. Two of the members of the Forum are Cavaliers from Singapore and the United States who joined PMA as foreign cadets and subsequently graduated therefrom. There are also Filipino graduates of The United States Military Academy, United States Naval Academy, and the Coast Guard Academy. Five of the members are current and former faculty members of PMA and the Forum is graced with the membership of three ladies. At 75 years of age, Cav. Losiette Oracion is the most senior member of the Forum while Cav. Goh Peng Lee of the Class of 1996 is the youngest. And we do have one retired Major General and former Superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy, Cav. Rudy Estrellado, who is also an active member of the ACF.

Cav. Alex Quirante, PMA '72, describes his membership with the ACF as

" ... fun, nostalgic, informative, educational, friendly, professional, and with a good support system. We develop new acquaintances and bonds with Cavaliers from different classes whom we personally know, those we've been assigned with, those we've not seen for decades, and faculty members in the Academy we've been under, and those we meet for the first time in the Forum."

Cav. Pete Cadungog, PMA '75, also wrote,

"I would like to believe that this bridging of cavaliers worldwide is not only meant to reminisce our past years as cadets. I believe that today and into the future the ACF means sharing of experiences, wisdom and capabilities wherever we are, in 'real time' through electronic mail, 24 hours a day."

The person behind this noble and noteworthy project is Cav. Juny Pilapil La Putt (Ret) who is now based in Honolulu, Hawaii. He not only created the ACF but continues to maintain and manage all the technical aspects of this high-tech medium of communication. Col. La Putt, an associate member of PMAAA and formerly a faculty member of the Academy (1963-1981), was also the creator of the first Philippine Military Academy home page in the Internet. This is the very first site on the Internet to portray a unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It was for his work on the PMA home page that he was awarded a plaque of recognition by the PMAAA Overseas (US West Coast) Chapter during the 92nd Anniversary and Foundation Day Celebration held at Amada Plaza in Buena Park, California on March 1, 1997.

According to Col. La Putt, it was Col. Feliberto "Guy" Camacho, PMA '65, also a retired colonel, now residing in Ontario, Canada, who suggested to him the creation of a special forum where Cavaliers who are active on the Internet could communicate and relate with each other even though they are spread all over of the world. Col. Camacho, was a loyal subscriber of the weekly mailings to the "Friends of the Hawaiian WebMaster" which was also created by Col. La Putt in 1995. Seeing the close bond and friendly relationship developed among the 180 members in this group, Guy Camacho felt that something similar could also be created among alumni of PMA, Filipino alumni of the different US service academies, as well as officers currently or formerly assigned with PMA.

When Col. Camacho first suggested the idea, Col. La Putt hesitated to form the new group since there were only a handful of Cavaliers who were then in the mailing list of the Hawaiian WebMaster. In the months that followed, however, there was a significant increase in the number of PMA alumni who joined this mailing list. In view of this development, Col. La Putt felt that it was already the right time to create the special group.

On February 16, 1998, the "Academy Cavaliers' Forum" was created and launched by Col. La Putt. The initial list only had 18 active members. The transmission of member postings were initially done manually through Col. La Putt who acted as the moderator and central message relay center. Finally on March 27, 1998 the ACF became a fully automated mailing list when L-Soft International was commissioned to host it. This change was suggested by Col. La Putt after he made a thorough inquiry and research of discussion groups and mailing lists in cyberspace. The important step taken towards automation was made possible with the full support of the members who gererously contributed funds for the project.

Looking back, Col. La Putt said,

"All I had was a goal and a strong sense of determination. At any rate, I gave it a shot and up to now I still continue to keep my fingers crossed ... still hoping that this will turn out to be something really big and worthwhile. But it is rewarding to note though that the ACF has grown so much in membership and things are really beginning to happen ... just as I thought it would."

It has only been less than 5 months since its inception and the ACF now has 76 members and it is still growing at an average rate of 15 new members per month. It has been noted that many of the mailings received regularly by the members of the Forum are also circulated among their own friends in cyberspace so that there is no accurate way of determining the number of end-recipients of these mailings. Automatic membership to the Academy Cavaliers' Forum are granted to the following:

  • Alumni of the Philippine Military Academy
  • Filipino graduates of US and other foreign service academies
  • Associate members of the PMA Alumni Association
  • Current and former faculty (including civilians) members of PMA
  • Current and former officers assigned at PMA

To join the Academy Cavaliers' Forum, an applicant must first communicate by e-mail with Col. La Putt at the following address: juny@hgea.org to signify his or her intention to become a member. The applicant is then asked to submit a personal info sheet which will indicates his full name, e-mail address, current location, and other pertinent information listed in the info sheet. Aside from this, the applicant must also prepare a narrative resume with an accompanying photograph which will be posted in this Web site.

Membership by application is also granted to deserving individuals outside of the categories listed above upon approval by the Membership Committee. The application must include endorsements by at least two members of the ACF. The application must be posted for at least two weeks inviting the attention of the general membership. A resume and photograph must accompany the application. As of this date, there has only been one member of the ACF who was accepted under this category - Ms. Elizabeth Fullon, a Filipina Fulbright grantee who is currently undertaking research work in Iceland.

The Academy Cavaliers' Forum is still in its infant stage but it is growing fast. "For as long as information technology keeps on growing," said Pete Cadungog, PMA '75, "the ACF will grow and fruits will multiply. And the bridging of Cavaliers worldwide will keep growing. The best is yet to be." There is no doubt that the ACF has brought closer together Cavaliers from different parts of the world such that each of its members are practically just a "click of a mouse" away. Many of the members even believe and earnestly hope that one day the ACF will be a force to reckon with.


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