BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – The predominantly green and brown Philippine Military Academy (PMA) got a splash of color on Saturday, February 17.

It was the annual alumni homecoming ceremony, and PMA alumni as well as their spouses wore attire of all hues for the much-anticipated Trooping the Line ceremony.

Alumni, grouped by batch, paraded in front of cadets in formation at the academy’s Borromeo Field.

All seemed dressed to impress.

Classmates of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, for one, were in suits and red hats with “73” stitched on them.

“Mistahs” of Interior and Local Government Officer-in-Charge Eduardo Año wore navy blue jackets with an “83” patch on their right chest.

Younger batches, like those from the Class of 2013, had their female batchmates in front.

The oldest batches, meanwhile, just had a handful of alumni left. It was a one-man parade for the Class of 1961, with former senator Rodolfo Biazon marching for his classmates.

Ideally, for the Trooping the Line ceremony, cadets stand in formation on one side of the field. Coming from the east is a parade of alumni who will inspect the cadets’ posture, formation, and general well-being in the academy.

But because scrutiny would take too long, the alumni just walk in front of the cadets, said PMA spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Rey Balido. All the same, the cadets stayed put throughout the program.

After the parade, the alumni made a formation of their own, facing the cadets. They sang the PMA Alma Mater Song to conclude the program, then got together with schoolmates from other batches.

Here are photos of the colorful tradition.