(14th of ‘Life’ Series)
I spent four wonderful years in the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), living in what felt like an ideal, secluded world. Those years will always be some of the most colorful and defining moments of my growing-up years, though my journey there began not with a sense of duty, but with a rather uncomfortable desire to escape. Growing up in Bohol, I felt that the walls of small-town life was too constricting. But I was hesitant to take the PMA entrance exam, harboring a quiet reluctance to be compared to my elder brother, Manoy Cesar. I also had this wary, halfhearted mindset toward the rigors of the uniform. Yet, I knew I needed a way out – a chance to spread my wings – and the Academy became my ticket to a horizon I had never seen before.
The transition was a violent awakening. I was not prepared for the Academy’s “Beast Barracks” and the crushing hardships of Plebe year. In those first twelve months, the person I was back in Bohol was systematically dismantled. Slowly but surely, I was molded into the spartan ways of soldiery through relentless physical exertion and the psychological pressure of being at the bottom of a rigid martial hierarchy. It was a year of bracing up and chinning in and shedding off those old civilian ways; testing my fortitude, my character, and my will.
I remember the sweat stinging my eyes and the deep ache in my bones, wondering if I had what it would take to survive. I remember singing the Plebe Song over and over again; and reciting dozens of plebe knowledges, the most significant of which was: “Are You Resigning?” And I can still vividly recall the last line of that piece – which we would shout out emphatically: “No, sir, over the dead and rotting body of Dumbguard So-and-so, sir!”
And as we braved those trials, something shifted. I found that I was growing, not just on the physical and mental side, but more importantly, on the spiritual side. The Academy was ridding us of those civilian antics, carving away those weaknesses, revealing a stronger, more mature and more morally-equipped character.
Once the physical storm of Plebe year subsided, we then had to deal with the cerebral grind of Yearling or 2nd year. This was a season of intense, focused academics. We were no longer just bodies to be trained, but minds to be sharpened. The quiet nights spent hunched over textbooks in Mechanics, Thermodynamics and other Engineering related subjects were just as demanding as the obstacle courses, requiring a different kind of endurance. I learned that a soldier without a sharp mind is just as vulnerable as one without a rifle.
This academic foundation paved the way for our third (Cow) and fourth (Firstie) years, where – aside from the continuous academic grind – the focus slowly shifted toward Leadership, Management and Military Sciences. We were no longer just following orders; we were learning the heavy responsibility of giving them. We studied strategy, the ethics of command, and the art of managing human lives, preparing us for the realities of the military regimen that awaited us beyond the walls of Fort Del Pilar.
Before the Academy, my life was a jumble of momentary thrills, lacking any definite path, lacking a purpose in life. The Academy nurtured something deeper: a profound sense of discipline and a maturity that I hadn’t known I possessed. It was as if a door had cracked open, and light began to spill in, revealing a landscape of golden possibilities I had never dreamed of. I walked in a boy looking for an exit; I walked out a man who had found a calling.
Looking back, the four-year Academy stint was the greatest gift I received in my life. It fixed my aimless, uncertain adventure with a solid and unbreakable foundation. It taught me that true freedom isn’t the absence of rules, but the mastery of oneself. The Academy didn’t just give me a career; it gave me a code to live by and a family of brothers-in-arms who were willing to sacrifice and, if need be, take hits for me. It transformed my reluctance into a fulfilling life. And it made me understand that it is in sacrificing that one is glorified; it is in the hardest paths that one finds the most beautiful destinations. I left those hallowed grounds not just ready to lead, but ready to live a life of consequence.
For a closer look, just click on the pics.
Color My World 