to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy… and to laugh along the way
As we say farewell, let us carry forward his lessons, lessons ingrained in the Academy’s motto of Courage, Integrity and Loyalty. To stand up with Courage to always strive to make a positive difference, to lead with Integrity to fight for what is right, to love our people with a fierce Loyalty – an unwavering devotion – even when it was inconvenient, even if it would mean a personal sacrifice.
Growing up, I learned that one’s development doesn’t happen with one single blazing stroke, but through the slow tempering of one’s character. I learned to measure strength not by imposing one’s will on others. I discovered that life wasn’t always fair, and, having witnessed firsthand my Papa’s struggle as a PAL employee, I developed an empathy for those who have less in life.
Boy meets girl. They fall in love. They encounter many obstacles along the way. But they stick it out. And they would live happily ever after. You know the drill, right? But no, this story’s a whole lot different. And it’s certainly one for the movies.
If I close my eyes, I can still hear the echo of those days – the creak of the tartanilya’s wheels, my mother’s whispered prayers tucked into the din of the church bells, even the frenzied sounds of children playing during recess. Those early memories provide moments of innocent laughter that fill my corner of the world with so much life. These moments of loving and learning settled deep into my young child’s heart.
I open my life book with a vow, not a vow of perfection, but of presence: to show up honestly, to listen deeply, to act with small kindnesses that hopefully will ripple outward, and to leave behind a trace of light for those who follow. If my life were a compass, may its needle remain steady in the winds of change, guiding future hands toward a brighter, more compassionate path.
I was a young Army captain then, newly married, and newly assigned to Manila – at the General Headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Camp Aguinaldo, to be exact – after 7 years of risky field service in the hinterland areas mainly in war-torn Mindanao. Those 4 days of February would become heady days for me, my family, my relatives and friends, as we all gathered at EDSA – the epicenter of it all – in that busy portion of the highway between Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo.
Color My World 