Open Call

***

(Note: Since my writing career has ended, I decided to publish some of the articles that I have written in the past years. I will do this as I try to write some more this time for this blog. I intend to do to in this blog what I should be doing in the Corps Magazine if I was not booted out. For the meantime, I am posting some of the articles that I wrote before for the benefit of those who were not able to get copies of the Corps Magazine. I will put this under the label articles for better searching. I will also write some brief background on the articles that will be posted here. Here's the first:

This was published in the 2005 Academic Issue. Technically, this is the first short story that I wrote and is dedicated to someone I met during my first break as a cadet in March 2005. After being mesmerized by her on our initial meeting, I tried getting in touch but to no avail the distance can not be bridged that easily. This was the fulfillment of my promise to her to write something for her and also a way to release my obvious frustration about not being able to receive text messages from people you wish to text. Enjoy!!!)
***

“Message sent.”

The words lingered on my head as I watch those words appear on my cellphone screen with the backlight slowly dimming until finally it faded. My mind was filled with so many things when the message that I just sent came back into view.

“I have 30 minutes to use my cellphone, i-text nyo naman ako.”

The nyo word was actually a disguise to imply that I sent this message to others and I was just simply bored and that a text from somebody was very welcome. In reality, though, I just sent the message to a single person. For some reason, I feel that it was kind of weird that I wanted to start a conversation through text messaging with her. I kind of wanted it to look as if I was not that desperate to receive a text message from her. The whole study period, I have been thinking of how exactly I will begin something that would merit at least one message from her, or perhaps something that would begin a series of text messages that would at least show that we’re kind of—friends. I was suddenly grasping for ideas on how exactly I will get this lady’s attention. The idleness of my cellphone was not a good indicator. As time slips away I could imagine from the distant, somewhere in Quezon City, that she was actually ignoring me or maybe not. Maybe she is irritated by my obvious lack of attention or maybe she was simply tired or perhaps the more obvious reason, she had no call card balance. But why is it that although I am fully aware of the countless possibilities, I continue to be haunted by the most horrific reason one could come up, that she is ignoring me; pity me.

***

I was singing along with the radio. Although the volume was low, I heard the song clearly, it was my favorite, “Love moves in mysterious ways.” I realized then I had been seated at my desk for the past hour and had done nothing. After I had my dinner, I quickly retreated to my room for no apparent reason. I was simply tired. I thought surviving the day was a feat in itself. But then nothing much has really happened except for the endless “bonding” that I had with my friends. I just recently graduated my pre-law course and although I will begin law school in a few months, I am enjoying this break from school even if it will soon come to an end. So this is how life is when you have nothing else to do. A few months back, I was thinking of this elaborate plan on what I will do the moment I graduate. I thought all the while that I will be able to do everything that I have conceived in my head only to realize that after a while, I have done everything that I thought of doing. I glanced at my watch, it was 9:32. I realized then that I had practically done nothing for the past hour. But then, I have all the time in the world. The fact that I had done nothing for the past hour brought the feeling of contentment. I was contented simply because I know I was free. I was free from a schedule that would dictate when I will wake-up, when I will go on gimmicks. Now, I can sit on my desk for one hour and do nothing. It is indeed a good feeling.

***

My roommate entered the room and he was holding his cellphone. With a smile on his face, I knew right then what was going on. He had just received a text message from one of his girlfriends who was from Leyte. The smile signaled that something just came up. Maybe it was some sweet text message, a quote or something that just triggered this look that I see him in. I have always told him to stop fooling around but then he would always answer me that it was love he felt for all of them, that’s what he said. Well, what can I do, the fact remains that although I do not agree with his affairs, I was simply some nobody waiting for a reply from somebody who, for all I know, does not give a damn about my existence. If you look at it his way, I was some hopeless romantic trying to woo some girl some place far away, who possibly thinks of me as some mere acquaintance and he was the man, the heartthrob. There are times though that I kind of like the feeling that he gets from his escapades but when conscience sets in, I simply ignore the feeling. I always reasoned out that it is because of his antics that hopeless romantics like me are not able to get the good girls. I wonder how it seems too easy for him when in fact he just plays around while I’m still waiting for luck to strike. I just might get lucky and right at this very moment I hope the text message I have been waiting is that luck.

***

I heard the faint knock of our maid. When I opened the door, she just gave me my phone.

“Ate, may message ka.”
“Salamat po, Manang.”

There are two messages. One from a friend I met earlier. She was just asking if I was already home and also to thank me for our little girl talk. The other was from someone that I met a few weeks back. He was a friend of a friend that eventually found his way inside my circle of friends. There was nothing special really about this guy except that he studied at the premier military institution in the country; he is a cadet in the Philippine Military Academy.

“I have 30 minutes to use my cellphone, i-text nyo naman ako.”

As I read those words, I was confused. The truth of the matter is—I do not know him. Perhaps he thinks that some desperate text message like this will start something that would perhaps make me one of his textmates. Cadets are simply like that, at least that’s what I heard. A friend once told me that they have these text friends from all over. Some of these “friends” they actually court and eventually become one of their girlfriends then the cycle goes on. My father was once also a cadet but I never saw him to be that of a playboy. But then what do I really know about them. Even if my father is a general, I know very little about the military. In fact some people will be surprised that I was actually the general’s daughter. It really is nothing to me that my father has stars on his shoulders. I have nothing to do with him rising to that rank, and I did not have a choice being his daughter. But then although I think of it this way, this part of me seems to intimidate people. I remember how a sense of greatness is attached when the topic of me being the daughter of so and so is discussed. For some people it seems that I am this princess. With boys, this becomes part of who I am. It appears to people that I have this high standard with men, sometimes this becomes the reason why they simply do not try hard enough to woo me. But then again, I deserve someone great, there’s no rush anyway, I still have to go to school. Well, maybe this one is another one of those trying to get my attention.

***

The sound of my phone was music to my ears only to realize that the text message was not from her. The message was an advertisement about the latest promo on a certain movie, as if I can watch that movie. There was still no reply from her and I’m beginning to think that this might not be my luck day. I really think that what I am expecting as of this point is not too much of a request. I mean, a simple reply is not hard to do. Being in this place, I will just be happy knowing that at least she bothered. In reality though, I want something more than that. I want to go on a date with her. Maybe we’ll talk about things, maybe about the book I gave her when I attended her graduation party a few weeks back when I was on break. Maybe after that date, I will really get to know her and that I may find something that would further advance my interest on her. Maybe we can go to a cool restaurant I saw way back. I told myself then that I will bring a special lady there. I completely forgot about that restaurant until just recently when I was daydreaming about a perfect date with her. Maybe when I come back, I’ll send her letters, I mean real letters. Not those that is so impersonal that when the computer goes down, your letter also goes down. I imagine something like letters that I carefully compose during study period using the stationeries that are issued to us, just like how my father did when he was a cadet or maybe just like how her father did when he was a cadet. I’m not in love though. Even if just thinking of her tickles me from the inside and even if every night I pray very hard that God will give her to me. I still maintain that I’m not in love. How could I be in love when I do not really know her? Well, I may fall in love with her and that is why although desperate text message is not getting any good result, I’m still hoping that she’ll just notice me and be more than just an acquaintance, maybe share some insights or maybe share other things or maybe fall in love. Ah, will that ever happen.

***

“What is this guy trying to do?” I muttered to myself. He certainly is trying to get my attention, but why? Well the answer is really that obvious. A few days ago, when he went home to attend the wedding of his brother, he asked me to go out with him. After some thought, I realized I was not ready for something like that. I only met him twice and I was not to go out with somebody I barely know. He seems harmless though, and the fact that I am my father’s daughter perhaps gives me that little assurance that he has no bad intention. I declined his offer but told him to join me with some of my friends. I thought that was safer at least there will be other people around and I wouldn’t be feeling uneasy around him. Nothing happened much really except that we had some coffee and we basically did not talk much and then I had to go home while they continued in some videoke bar until morning.

“Sori, I can’t text you right now, I’m kind of busy.”

I gave it one last look and then sent the message.

***

The hallway was noisy. Everyone was walking towards the cellphone rack. Taps was about to sound and that meant that we had to surrender our phones. In a few minutes it will be considered Close call, it is the time when we are not allowed to use our phones anymore. I rose from my seat and walked towards the door when the bugle started to play the familiar tune of Taps. I just walked out of the door when the phone sounded. It was from her. As I was rushing to the rack and tried to read the message, my battery drained and the phone shut down. There was no time to charge now I’ll just read that message tomorrow. I hope it’s something I like.

Open call has ended with me still wondering what is it that I had to do to get her attention. The sad thing about PMA is that we simply do not have the time to meet people that we like. As for me, she was simply far away. No matter how good my intention is, she can’t possibly know it. I think no one can blame us if we cherish the little time we have for text messaging during open call it is the only way we can at least reveal ourselves to people. With me now, it’s the only way I can reveal myself to her. When most networks offered unlimited text and calls to their subscribers it became an instant craze to the cadets, that explains how lonely can it be. When loneliness set in even the simplest text message can bring a smile to a cadet’s face. As for me, I hope there will come a time that I will take advantage of those offers and I hope it’s because of her. Romantics like me can sometimes really be hopeless, why? There is no intricate explanation to that, within the walls of Fort del Pilar, when people are simply fascinated by our uniforms and the way we entertain them during parades and reviews, we hope people will pay attention beyond that fascination, even if only through desperate text messages.

I changed to my sleeping uniform, and then went to the computer to type the long delayed story that I was to submit to the Corps Magazine. Perhaps I could write something about text messages, about admiration or maybe falling in love. That’s an idea. I gazed at the blank screen then typed the first words:

“Message sent.”

Thoughts on the Alumni Homecoming

With the Alumni Homecoming Festivities over, I begin to explore on the reason that leads all cavaliers back to the Philippine Military Academy. I may not have all the answers but just maybe some insight will be gathered and this phenomenon can be understood.

Around this time last year, I wrote a similar article basically about the Alumni Homecoming. This time though, I intend to write it in the eyes of a second class cadet who has been part of the celebration not just a mere participant but living out the reason why the cavaliers go back for their yearly pilgrimage.

The day before the event, I was lucky enough to go to the city for some duty I have to attend to. This was the opportunity for me to pass through the road from Baguio City to PMA filled up with all types of banners welcoming the different classes that will flock the Academy. I remember the times when I ride in front of our van a few years back being marveled by the kind of entertainment these banners bring as we travel to PMA all the way from Manila. I even remember an instance when there was a banner as early as EDSA leading the Cavaliers as they trek to Fort Del Pilar. In a comical way, these banners do bring about fond memories of the wonderful days of cadetship.

In the afternoon after that, I stood in front of the mess hall observing the people that were roaming around. I presume many of them were Cavaliers as evident in the way they tell stories that I can not hear but was full of life as they relate it to members of their family who were following them behind. There were those who would want to see the mess hall just to be reminded how it was back then when they were heading up and chinning in amidst the shouts of their upperclassmen. People were everywhere yet it seemd that somehow they knew each other, their eyes were filled with some kind of nostalgia over the sights that were not new to them, the places that they were seeing where in fact once their home for at least four years of their lives.

Early in the morning of the Homecoming, I walked the side part of the Borromeo Field. It's serene stature, ready for the coming cavaliers. In a matter of hours, the grounds will once again be filled with the very same people that sweated it out in the same field. I could just imagine the millions of stories that the field before me holds. A few hours after that, as I don my full dress uniforms and the cavaliers passing in front of me, I can't help it but notice how the faces seemed to be just like the normal people you I see day in and day out. Others have grown beer bellies, have developed gray hair and wrinkles but still all of them marched in cadence with the bass drum just as how it has been in the last 50 years or so in the Academy. Finally at the end of the parade the thousands of people were silent as the band begins to play the Alma Mater Song. As I place my gaze at the many different people lined up in front of the grandstand, I can't help it but realize that in some way, the words of the song echo the same sentiment that they themselves have learned back in the days when they were wearing the same uniform that I was wearing.

Just like Alumni Homecomings of any school, it is an event filled with wonderful memories. But then, the difference with the PMA Alumni Homecoming is that it is filled not just with wonderful memories but also experiences that has forever changed the lives of the men and women who has donned the cadet uniform. Somehow, the many people who come back every February are those that were given a chance of a lifetime to make something out of their life and be a the best our of what they were given

Love on Valentine's Day

When February started, I received a text message with the following content:

"Dahil February na, magmamahal na ako -- Globe Unlimitxt"

Then just this morning, I had two messages, all of which were greeting me with Happy Heart's Day. Finally, my instructor in my first period class just had to greet everyone Happy Valentine's Day. I wonder how to go about these things.

I do not know if this is true in all places but there seems to be this unofficial tradition about Valentine's Day. Not that its a bad thing but just observing the things that are happening around at this time of the year, you begin to ask yourself if people really do things like how they do it on Valentine's day or is it just because of the season that suddenly settles inself inside the psyche of the people? Let us examine this phenomenon.

One may not have realized but in occassions like this most people will go out of their way to think about all the romance they can muster inside their system. Its like an inevitable feeling that convinces everyone that this is how things should be at this time of the year. It is interesting that at some point in a year in everyone's life, they actually make an effort to really love. The sad thing though is that after all the romance has faded away, the month changes, it is so easy to forget about love and just be reminded about it when February comes back again and everything is red.

In a conversation with my sister about a week ago, I was telling her about love being a state of a person and not some feeling. I told her that it is really not about the other person that we choose to love but its about the person that we become out of the love that we give. In my experience as a person who has always tried his best to give out love to the people I care about, I have learned that no matter how things will be we never lost in love, instead we find out things that we do not know existed. These things allow as to go on loving without really thinking of the outcome of the things that we do. I say that it is a state of a person for the primary reaso0n that it begins with a decision to just do it, letting go of ourselves and then allowing them to experience a part of us. There is no expectation of something in return, there is just this wonderful feeling that loving is enough and the assurance of a promise from God who created love itself. The wonder of love is not on its feeling but in its ability to understand and sustain things despite of everything that happens that in some way contrary to our common conception of how things should be. In the end it is about deciding to do it not because our calendar says its February 14, or that there is something that we can get out of it but for the simple reason that not to do it is a betrayal of the kind of person we were created in the first place.

I wonder if amidst all the romance that is around us at this time of the year, we have really made that effort to just love even when things do not seem appropriate for such feeling. It is the hardest thing to do yet the most noble. I do not know how to put this but having been through life and experiencing love from all types of people, I learned that love never leaves us. It always leaves a trail that always reveals to us the beauty and wonder of everything that is in this world.

So I stick to this definition in the Bible claiming the promise in the last sentence:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails"

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

Rereading the journal

I have around 10 minutes to type this blog, I hope to cover everything that I thought of writing before I came here.

I have not heard a bad comment yet regarding my Uncle Bobo article, its not that I am hoping some nasty comment will be given to it maybe at the back of my mind I was prepared to hear what people has to say about it. Anyway, I am glad I published it here. From now on, my supposed to be articles for the Corps Magazine will be published in this blog and I will label them so that they can be accessed easily, just wait for it I have other ideas in mind.

I while ago, I was reading my Purpose Driven Life Journal. It was a journal that is accompanied by the famous book by Rick Warren. About early July of 2004 (as a fourthclass) I decided that I will start doing the 40 days Purpose Driven Life on my own. It was a decision I made out of the realization that I should put my cadetship in a direction that is according to God's will for me. So I asked Faith to buy me one and if I remembered in right I have not paid her until now. so I started doing it but then sometime in October, I stopped writing. I do not know the reason maybe I just became tired of having to force myself write what I thought about something that I read when sometimes I jsut want to meditate on the new realizations that I had. I resumed it in December 29, because of a thought brought about by Grace (yes the lovely Grace) when we were talking during the Superintendent's Hop (she was my partner). I wrote some more until I stopped sometime in January when this blog was ressurected.

It was only today that I realized how much of the things that I aspired for during those times have come to pass without me realizing that at some point in my quest for God, He revealed to me that the things that will happen to me in the future. I was suprised to read that at one point I was writing my prayer only to realize that I have it now. But more on that, I also realized that I was feeling somewhat the same emotion about being uncertain of the things to come and then resolving to allow God to work according to His plan and that always He has never failed me. I guess my point is that in all that is happening in our life even if we are not aware, He guides us day by day ensuring that we walk in a path that is according to His plan.

I also remembered something that was trigerred by an event that happened earlier today at church. I still do not know if I should write about it in this blog since it is about certain people that I prayed for and for some reason I am seeing the fulfillment of that prayer. I had a realization this morning and it still bothers me up to this very moment. I am trying to comprehend if what I am feeling is actually the truth or am I just making it up because that is what I happened?

Anyway, in that journal I always end it with something and that is how I will end this entry.... Thank you for Grace....I love you people....

The Character that is Bobo

Note: This is article is a result of a research that almost cost me my cadetship. I am not able to publish it someplace else because of the trouble that I had to go through but then again its a pity in people can not read this so here it is)

Each issue of the Corps Magazine is a reflection of the culture that has been shaped by the kind of training that the cadets have gone through. The opinions are more often related to leadership, excellence and other related topics that are usually the kind of ideas that they are injected in everything that they are doing inside the academy. The feature stories are results of the cadet’s ability to tell stories about their seemingly strange life and coupling it with the kind of entertaining flavor that does not only enliven the tale but also aims to put out the notion of cadets being rigid and automatons. This is also true with the literary page. More often, readers comment that the stories of cadets are usually those of lost love and longing. The reason for that is because these are the emotions that the cadets experience being far from their loved ones and enduring the hardships of training. And of course, at the end of each issue comes the endeared cadet character that has stood the test of time – Uncle Bobo.

The Legend that was BOBO

When the first cadet publication (then known as the Kaydet Gossiper) was launched in June 1937, it was a mere mimeographed publication intended to be published weekly among the Corps of Cadets. It became a hit among the cadets that soon even its name was a matter of consensus among the still small cadet corps, thus by popular vote the official cadet publication was renamed The Corps, the name that it still carries to this date.
When World War 2 broke out and the Academy was closed down, those in the publication joined the war halting the existence of the magazine. When PMA reopened in 1947, the Corps Magazine was also resurrected and soon after Uncle Bobo was introduced. He was to become the cadet character that is not only to identify with the magazine but also to all the cadets who have been at one time his classmates.

Through the years, he has evolved into someone who is not only a character but has somewhat became “everybody’s uncle.” Perhaps there is no other character that is easily identified with PMA and its cadets more than Uncle Bobo. In later years, with the acceptance of women into the Academy, he was given a female counterpart through Tita Anita, who basically carries the same features as that of the original Uncle Bobo.

What does Uncle Bobo Represent?

Ironically the character was intended not to be representative of PMA. As one cavalier would put it “Uncle Bobo was a satire of cadet life and someone we used so we can laugh at ourselves, at our systems, at our regimented lives. He was something we all wanted to become if we weren't so bounded by rules and regulations and all that stuff. He was NOT meant to be a symbol of what a cadet should be. Look, anyone who thinks that Uncle Bobo is representative of what a cadet should be is taking himself and Uncle Bobo too seriously.” This is especially evident with the name Bobo which literally means in Filipino as dumb. Cadets can not be dumb for in fact cadets are expected to be the cream of the crop among the Filipino youth.
Maybe it’s because of the Filipino culture, but nonetheless it is actually the satirical nature of the character that has gained his popularity among the magazine’s audience. He has a belly that is non existent to majority of the cadets. He has always managed to remain a cadet despite of having gone through all the “near-dismissal” experience possible and later on he attributes this to the fact that all the generals out there were at one time his classmates. He wears the chevron of a Supply Sergeant which is in fact one of the lesser ranking positions in the Corps among the graduating cadets.

Generally, one would expect that a cadet like that of Uncle Bobo will never be able to remain in PMA for he is a symbol of mediocrity, but then as all cavaliers and cadets will eventually agree, he is the epitome of what a cadet should not be. It is not really that too hard to understand because Filipinos are, as a people; have been known to find laughter even at very unlikely circumstances.

Other characters

In the United States Military Academy, the institution which PMA is based on, their official mascot is the mule. According to a fact sheet regarding what WestPoint calls as the Army Mule, “the choice of the mule as a mascot reflects the long-standing usefulness of this animal in military operations – hauling guns, supplies and ammunition. Strong, hearty and persevering, the mule is an appropriate symbol for the Corps of Cadets.” Unlike in PMA, their mascot is usually their character that represents them mostly during sporting events coming from an American culture that is very much competitive. Their mule was a response to the United States Naval Academy’s goat, which is the other half of the long standing Navy-Army service academies’ rivalry.

The Korean Military Academy, on the other hand, has Muraky. He is the embodiment of their motto which is Wisdom, Integrity and Courage. Not much can be researched about their character owing to the limited information on this character but just the same theirs symbolize a character that is closely identified with their institution.

Here in the Philippines, PMA’s counterpart in the Philippine National Police Academy has Cadet Abutalams who, similarly, is also immortalized inside the pages of their official cadet publication, Kalasag. The name Abutalams is derived from the term “malatuba” which in local slang is an epitome of being shabby. The character appears in the form of comic strips where he finds himself in humorous situations during his training in the Police Academy. Like Uncle Bobo, Cadet Abutalams tries to find humor amidst the regimented cadet training which includes getting away with his laxities.

In the University of the Philippines, student’s call themselves as Isko (or Iska for the females) to mean that they are “Iskolar ng Bayan.” The term is more of a label the same as that of Atenista for those who went to Ateneo. But unlike that of Ateneo, Isko has been given a character for the term is considered to be more an entity rather than just a name to call students of UP collectively. In a play aptly entitled Isko’t Iska presented in UP – Los Baños, Isko is portrayed as a UP student who has to deal with the daily pressures of UP life. In a deeper analysis, owing to the extent of freedom that those in UP are allowed, Isko is the embodiment of the hardships and many challenges of student life in an academic community that has so much variety and spice. Isko deals with all of this and tries his best to do what he is supposed to do as a student – to study that is.

Of course, who could forget Uncle Sam and Juan dela Cruz, the characters closely identified as American and Filipino respectively. Much has been written about the origin and nature of these characters but just the same they embody a feature that is unique to the people they represent. For Uncle Sam he is portrayed as someone with authority perhaps owing to the authority figure of the United States. For our beloved Juan dela Cruz, he is often found wearing the traditional salakot and is more of a common man just as how most Filipinos portray themselves.

There are still other characters that can not be accommodated in this write up but generally it is obvious that their symbolism is representative of the kind of culture of the group that they represent. In the case of the Americans, their character was reflective of a representation of their competitive spirit and their aggressiveness. It was a result of the need to create something that could symbolize the kind of people they wish to be portrayed. The Koreans have theirs to symbolize the virtues that they value. Finally for the Filipinos, theirs is a portrayal of simple people who are faced with the many challenges of their existence.

To put it simply, the Filipinos as an observation, including that of Uncle Bobo, uses symbolisms as an outlet of their fun loving nature even in serious circumstances and not really that of role models that they wish to be like. Uncle Bobo symbolizes the daily struggle of every cadet to survive cadetship despite of “deficiencies” that may come in all forms and yet come out a winner.

The Real score

In all these comparisons and existing realities there is something that perhaps redeems the Filipinos in their choice of symbols that they attach to themselves. If one will just try to analyze the characters that the Filipinos come up with, there is something that is evident in all of them. Despite the obvious deficiencies of this character, they embody something that the Filipinos can be proud of – that is the enduring attitude and perseverance that is not only evident in their character but also in the portrayal that they receive.

In Uncle Bobo’s corner, he gives advices to letter senders that are, although filled with humorous remarks, but in reality are witty solutions to simple problems. If there is one thing that redeems Uncle Bobo despite of all his “deficiencies”, it is the wisdom that he evokes when he responds to the letters he receives. Also, Uncle Bobo has become everybody’s uncle not because of his looks or his laxities but because he embodies the typical PMA cadet who despite of the rigors of cadet training, is still able to laugh at it and at the same time go on with the training and endure some more. In this regard, as in the other Filipino characters mentioned, the Filipino character stands out, enduring all possible hardship and conquering it at the same time, and perhaps the most important of all, laughing while at it.

In conclusion

The sum of all the ideas presented lies on the question of what is truly in the heart of a Filipino. Is it in the portrayal of being an excellent person that has all the perfect qualities one can think of or is it in the ability to rise above the difficulties of reality and be a winner?

Most people would say that Filipinos always love the underdog. Darna is loved despite being Narda who can not walk normally. We love it when a young man from humble beginnings eventually wins the WBC International Super Featherweight Championship in the person of Manny Pacquiao. And we hope as we watch Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz in ABS-CBN’s Maging Sino Ka Man that eventually John Lloyd’s character as Ely will rise above the difficulty of loving a rich Bea Alonzo who portrays Jacky.

Uncle Bobo is in the same light. Although the Philippine Military Academy envisions of becoming the country’s best leadership school by year 2015, it can not undermine the reality that the Academy is a microcosm of the Philippine society and is reflective of the kind of culture that it represents. Inside the hearts of every “snappy” cadet is that desire to just be free and be able to commit the laxity that only Uncle Bobo can get away with. The reality is that there is this serious contradiction between trying to live up to the standards required by the Academy and the whims and wants of every PMA cadet. This goes out in the kind of characters that they idolize that in the end allow the cadets to be in touch with the person that they are allowing them to go on with the rigors of cadet training.

So, at the end of each issue of the Corps Magazine sums up the totality of every PMA cadet that brings up the real person in each of them. Uncle Bobo embodies their desire to just be free and be away from all the pressures that they are constantly subjected to. It is not to say they wish to dwell in these desires but rather, it is the acceptance that they have such yearning. The point is that in the end, what will stand out is their willingness to let go of it and do what they are supposed to do, following their mandate and be the best leaders this country can ever know.

Uncle Bobo tickles the heart of people because it embodies the reality of everyone who is caught between one must do and what one wants to do. But what is the most important thing is that at the end of the day, the Filipino character will stand out enduring all possible obstacles and being triumphant in his endeavors. That is what the true Filipino Character is even inside the head of a character like BOBO.

(Special thanks to the comments from the Plebes and Cavaliers Yahoo Groups, cadets from the Philippine National Police Academy and other well meaning friends for the information that they provided. Of course, to the bright idea of one snappy senior officer)