BAGUIO CITY — The Philippine Military Academy (PMA) is undergoing a major infrastructure expansion to support a planned increase in its student body to 3,000 cadets, school officials said Wednesday.

The expansion includes the construction of the Integrated Academic and Tactics Group Building, which will house the headquarters for both the academy’s academic and tactics groups.

Once completed, several administrative offices will vacate Melchor Hall, allowing that historic structure to be repurposed exclusively as a learning space for the cadet corps.

PMA Public Information Officer Lt. Jesse Nestor Saludo said that while the current annual recruitment quota is 350 cadets, the academy intends to gradually increase its capacity to reach the 3,000-cadet target.

The move is designed to support the growing manpower requirements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as the military seeks to bolster its national force levels.

Tech. Sgt. Buddy Segundo, the army recruitment coordinator for the Cordillera and Ilocos regions, noted that although there is no current shortage of applicants, the academy continues its annual recruitment cycle to ensure a steady pipeline of officers.

The academy’s expansion project aims to modernize the institution’s facilities while ensuring it can accommodate a larger volume of future military leaders.