UMAASA (originally Awitin ng Nagmamahal sa Kawal) - my first song

This song is for every girl and woman out there who longs to be with the man in their life every waking hour but can not, due to the constraints of military life. 

Sa bawat araw na dumaraan 
Ikaw lamang sa ‘king isipan 
Naghihintay sa ‘yong pagbabalik 
Muling madama ang yakap mo’t halik 

Ref1: Sadyang ganun yata talaga 
Kapag puso’y umibig na 
Hinding hindi mapakali 
Ni hindi ko kayang ngumiti 

Chorus: Ilayo ka man sa akin ng panahon 
At di man kita kapiling ngayon 
Umaasa ako sa pangako mo 
Na ako lang ang mamahalin mo 

Sa bawat gabi’y napapangarap 
Mukha at lambing mo’y hinahanap 
Di mapawi ang kalungkutan 
Pagkat piling mo lang ang inaasam 

Ref2: Mahirap pala ang ganito 
Lagging wala ka sa piling ko 
Lahat ng ito’y kakayanin 
At lagi kang iintindihin 

A WOMAN IN UNIFORM

Contribution to ONE VOICE Magazine published 2013

     I come from a military family, so it is no surprise that I am now serving the country as part of the military.  However, I am not in the same branch of service as the rest of my family because of physical requirements that I did not meet.  With my experience in education and teaching, I began by giving lectures, doing researches, and writing articles for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).  Their need for applicants to the Corps of Professors reached me, and I had to decide if I could leave the comforts of my civilian life to answer this gnawing call of duty.

     The decision was hard to make because the working hours I had before this opportunity was ideal. I was juggling part-time jobs and enjoying a flexible schedule.  The pay I received from these jobs was not bad, either.  Another factor that I had to consider was that we (my husband and I) were (and still are) homeschooling our children. Given this, I felt restless about my career path.  Still, I felt something was missing.

    It was not easy, but I pressed on towards my call to join the AFP.  I had to pass a variety of medical and physical fitness tests which proved to be a feat for my civilian lifestyle.  While I struggled through this, promotions and job offers from other places were falling on my lap like an avalanche.  I felt as if God was testing my heart – to know what mattered most to me.  I chose to join the military.

     Most people were surprised at my decision. However, I can say that being in the AFP’s Corps of Professors gives me an opportunity to merge my two passions: teaching and loving my country. I belong to a Corps that serves as the permanent faculty of the AFP.  We serve the Philippine Military Academy and the educational training units of the Philippine Air Force, Philippine Army, and the Philippine Navy.

     Being a uniformed woman brings a sense of pride, even if I simply belong to a long line of women in the military.  The AFP has given us equal opportunities for career growth and has given us considerations for our personal concerns.  I am empowered as a woman in the military. It is really difficult to balance this career and my role as a mother and teacher (though my husband shares the homeschooling load now). My family has to adjust to the demands of my profession, which includes transferring residences nearer to my assignment.

     I am happy that young as they are, my children respect my being a soldier, as they know that this is a childhood dream of mine.  Time and again, my kids are reminded that if they work and pray hard for their dreams, their own dreams will come true. My kids see me and they see all the things they want to be.  God knows the desires of our hearts, and His call of duty on my life has allowed me to reach mine. 

TECHNICALLY SPEAKING

Contribution to the OCS Alumni Convention Magazine    

     Professional servants – these are the members of the Technical and Administrative Services (TAS).  Considered a service set apart from the Army, Navy and Air Force, the TAS is composed of individuals who have been practicing their specializations in their respective fields.  This is composed of eight (8) different corps namely: Chaplain Service (ChS); Corps of Professors (COP);  Dental Service (DS); Judge Advocate General Service (JAGS); Nurse Corps (NC); Medical and Administrative Corps (MAC); Medical Corps (MC) and; Veterinary Corps (VC).

     With the publication of Personnel Directive Nr 3 GHQ, AFP dtd 09 March 2009 entitled Selection and Appointment of Probationary Second Lieutenants (P2LT) in the Technical and Administrative Service, AFP, these professionals were given in-service orientation trainings to acquaint them with the rudiments of military life. The first eight (8) classes underwent their Marine Officer Training (MOT) at Ternate Cavite while classes nine (9) through thirteen (13) underwent theirs at the Philippine Army Officer Candidate School (PAOCS) at Camp O’Donnell Capas Tarlac.  The in-service trainings at PAOCS, which lasted for approximately two months, included basic military knowledges such as the AFP organization, the customs and traditions and leadership theories.  The orientation also included the acquisition of basic military skills such as marksmanship and field training exercises.  The training mind-sets the civilian professionals what the service expects of them, now that they will be military professionals.

     For Class TAS-POT Class 13 Lingap-Kalasag, the training developed more than just professional servants but camaraderie that this Service demands.  With the class’ induction into the AFPOCS Alumni Association last February 2013 vis-à-vis the graduates of the NOCS, this bond was strengthened as we were welcomed into the circle of those who walked through the portals of our beloved OCS.  With the warm acceptance they have given, the class was able to feel the sense of pride that being a soldier brings.

     With this sense of belonging deeply rooted in each of us, the members of the class further hope that we will be identified not only by our fields of specialization but also as true-blooded OCIANS.  The training may have been a stint because of its duration, but the “dumbguard” experience, the incorporation and recognition rites, and the “weather in Tarlac” has become an undeniable common ground with the other students at OCS.  This is why our class proudly carries the OCS tradition as we go about our duties as the AFP’s professional servants.