Cadet rank in the Philippines

In the Philippines, Cadet is a rank held by candidate officer during the training to become commissioned officers in their preferred branch of military service.

Philippine Military School for Cadetship		OF-D of NATO Code rank
	Philippine Army Officer Candidate School (PAOCS)	PAOCC P2LT (Army Officer Candidate Course);[1][2][3] 2LT Reserve (Army Officer Preparatory Course)
	Philippine Navy Officer Candidate School (PNOCS)	NOCC PENS (Naval Officer Candidate Course)[4]
	Philippine Air Force Officer Candidate School (PAFOCS)	PAFOCC P2LT (Air Force Officer Candidate Course)
	Philippine Marine Corps Officer Candidate School (PMCOCS)	NOCC (M) PENS (Marine Officer Basic Course)
	Philippine Coast Guard Officers' Basic Education and Training Center (PCGOBETC)	PENS (Coast Guard Officers’ Course)[5][6][7]
	Reserve Command, Philippine Army (RESCOM, PA)	P2LT (Probationary Officer Training Course and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps)
	Naval Reserve Command (NRC)	PENS (Probationary Officer Training Course and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps)[8]
	Air Force Reserve Command (AIR RESCOM)	P2LT (Probationary Officer Training Course and Philippine Air Force Citizenship Advancement Training)
	Philippine Military Academy (PMA)	1st Year: Army/Midshipman/Aero CDT 4CL (Plebe) 2nd Year: Army/Midshipman/Aero CDT 3CL (Yearling) 3rd Year: Army/Midshipman/Aero CDT 2CL (Cow) 4th Year: Army/Midshipman/Aero CDT 1CL (Immaculate)[citation needed]
	Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA)	1st Year: Police/Fire/Jail CDT 4CL (Sheep) 2nd Year: Police/Fire/Jail CDT 3CL (Shearer) 3rd Year: Police/Fire/Jail CDT 2CL (Steward) 4th Year: Police/Fire/Jail CDT 1CL (Shepherd)[citation needed]
	Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA)	1st Year: Midshipman CDT 4CL 2nd Year: Midshipman CDT 3CL 3rd Year: Midshipman CDT 2CL 4th Year: Midshipman CDT 1CL[9]
	Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP)	1st Year: MIDN/MIDWN 4CL 2nd Year: MIDN/MIDWN 3CL 3rd Year: MIDN/MIDWN 2CL 4th Year: MIDN/MIDWN 1CL
	Aerospace Cadets of the Philippines (ACP)	1st Year: Airman/Airwoman 4th Class 2nd Year: Airman/Airwoman 3rd Class 3rd Year: Airman/Airwoman 2nd Class 4th Year: Airman/Airwoman 1st Class

Abbreviation

• OCS – Officer Candidate School
• AFPOCS – Armed Forces of the Philippines Officer Candidate School
• PAOCS – Philippine Army Officer Candidate School
• PNOCS – Philippine Navy Officer Candidate School
• PAFOCS – Philippine Air Force Officer Candidate School
• PMCOCS – Philippine Marine Corps Officer Candidate School
• PCGOBETC – Philippine Coast Guard Officers Basic Education and Training Center
• RESCOM – Reserve Command, Philippine Army
• NRC – Naval Reserve Command
• AIR RESCOM – Air Force Reserve Command
• PMA – Philippine Military Academy
• PMMA – Philippine Merchant Marine Academy
• PNPA – Philippine National Police Academy
• MAAP – Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific
• ACP – Aerospace Cadets of the Philippines
• PAOCC/OCC – Philippine Army Officer Candidate Course
• NOCC – Naval Officer Candidate Course
• PAFOCC – Philippine Air Force Officer Candidate Course
• NOCC (M) – Philippine Marine Corps Naval Officer Candidate Course
• CGOC – Coast Guard Officers; Course
• PAOPC/OPC – Philippine Army Officer Preparatory Course
• POTC – Probationary Officer Training Course
• PAFCAT – Philippine Air Force Citizenship Advancement Training
• ROTC – Reserve Officers; Training Corps
• P2LT – Probationary 2nd Lieutenant
• PENS – Probationary Ensign
• CDT 1CL – Cadet 1st Class
• CDT 2CL – Cadet 2nd Class
• CDT 3CL – Cadet 3rd Class
• CDT 4CL – Cadet 4th Class

Cadet vs. Officer Candidate

The words cadet and officer candidate are synonymous in referring the rank below second lieutenant. In the Philippines, officer candidates are referred to RESCOM, AFPOCS and PCGOBETC students who had baccalaureate degree, foreign service academies and reserve officer pools^[10] undergoing 4 months to 1 year of rigorous military training.^[11][12] On the other hand, cadets are referred to students of military schools undergoing 4 years of military training while completing their college degree.^[13]

References

1. "Officer Candidate Course".
2. "Join the Philippine Army..." Philippine Army Website. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
3. "74 New Cadets Join Philippine Army". www.afp.mil.ph. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
4. "Philippine Navy Online Application". recruitment.navy.mil.ph. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
5. "63 Coast Guard officer graduates 11-month training, new batch took oath". www.coastguard.gov.ph. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
6. "Coast Guard Officer's Course Class 16-2015". www.coastguard.gov.ph. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
7. "Careers". www.coastguard.gov.ph. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
8. "Naval Reserve Command" (PDF). DLSU. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
9. "Admission Process : The Academy". www.pmma.edu.ph. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
10. "PNoy thanks AFP-OCS, swipes at critics". Manila Standard. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
11. Inquirer, Philippine Daily (February 23, 2014). "No PMA clique in AFP, says chief of staff". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
12. Romero, Alexis. "Noy attends non-PMA officers' graduation". philstar.com. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
13. Saavedra, John Rey (February 17, 2019). "ROTC infuses balance in PH military: prof". www.pna.gov.ph. Retrieved May 13, 2022.