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Sunday, March 20, 2005
He followed his dream
By Marnellie C. Millanes
HE WAS just an ordinary teenager, full of enthusiasm, energy and passion, and full of dreams.
His passions, however, made him forget one dream until the day he wanted a way out of a course he got himself into.
This is a story of another Davao's pride, Antonio Gubalane Bulao I, this year's Top 2 of the Philippine Military Academy Sanlingan Class of 2005, one of only four cadets from Region 11 and the only one from Davao who graduated this year.
Ton, as he is called by his friends, is the second in a brood of four of Antonio Bulao Sr. and Emma Bulao.
Standing 5'9" with a standard military haircut and snappy bearing, it's easy to notice this young lieutenant.
Graduating salutatorian from the Davao City National High School in 1997, Ton went on to Ateneo de Davao University where he took up electronics and communications engineering.
He was a consistent dean's lister then, but something wasn't going right.
"Wa ko ganahi sa akong kurso. Besides, dream naman jud nako mag-PMA. Wala lang ko'y info kung unsaon, until nakakita ko og poster sa school (I have already lost interest in my course and it had always been my dream to join the PMA, but I didn't know how. That was until I saw a PMA poster in school)," Ton said.
Thus, in August 2000, on his fourth year in ECE, he became one of the 16,558 applicants for the PMA entrance exam.
Of this number, 12,094 took the exams, and only 1,105 passed it.
Of this number, only 164 were accepted into the academy.
By the time they graduated, there were only 50 left of the 164. Batch 2005, however, is comprised of a total of 149 graduates as there were others who came from earlier batches who graduated with them. From the 2004 batch, there were 63 who graduated with them; 32 from 2003 and two from 2002.
Aside from the four from Region 11, 20 of their batch hailed from Region 4, 19 were from Region 1, the same with Region 2.
Sixteen were from Region 9, 13 from Region 3, 12 from Region 5, 11 from the National Capital Region and another 11 from the Cordillera
Administrative Region, six from Region 10, five from
Region 6, four from Region 12, and three each from Region 7, Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao and the Caraga Region. There was none from Regoin 8 in their batch.
Ton downplays his achievement and seems surprised until now that he landed on top of the heap.
"Kadtong naa na ko sa PMA, gusto lang jud nako mo-graduate (While in the academy, all I wanted was to graduate)," he said.
"Ambot lang.Kana ang pangutana nga hangtud karon di gyud nako matubag. Wala man ko naga-study kadtong 1st class na ko (That's a question I cannot answer until now because I wasn't studying much in my senior year)," he said with a smile.
A PMA alumnus, however, disagrees with Ton's low-keyed assessment of his performance.
"Pang-Baron (term for the Cadet Corps Brigade Commander) naman talaga ang tayo niya. Mahirap ibalanse ang academics and extra curricular ha, pero nagawa nya," the alumnus who preferred not to be identified said.
A number of those in the academy even thought he would be No. 1.
Being the class president, brigade commander and the only magna cum laude in his Class is a clear manifestation of the respect and stature he has gained while a cadet.
But, he would prefer to stay out of the limelight for some personal reasons-- the bottom line being humility and an innate discomfort to hogging the center stage.
"Kadtong gi-confirm na nga Top 2 ko, lipay gyud ko kaayo (I was very happy when it was confirmed that I was No. 2 in Class," he said, because tradition dictates that those in the limelight during graduation is the Top 1 and the class goat, or the one who ranks last.
Although, the PMA broke the tradition of announcing the class goat for the first time this year and thus it was the No. 1 who was in the limelight all throughout.
Looking back, he said, discipline was the primary lesson he learned in PMA.
"Kanang naka-program gani ang imong schedule everyday, nga dili nimo basta-basta ma-change from time to time. Dili pareho kung naa ka gawas sa Academy (It's like your scheule is programmed everyday and you wouldn't just arbitrarily change it for no reason at all unlike when you're not in the Academy)," he said.
As president of his class since Plebehood (first year), he has "become an icon who is looked up by many of his fellow cadets. He executes and implements discipline in an exemplary way by being the role model for all cadets", the PMA's Corps Magazine Graduation 2005 issue described Ton.
His harvest of awards attests to this. Aside from being the only magna cum laude in the class, he was also conferred the following: The Vice President Award, Chief of Staff Award, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Achievement Award for
Leadership, Philippine Army Saber Award, Weapons System Award, Tambuli Award and Academic Excellence Award. He was also one of the delegates to the institutional visit to Chumakomklaw Royal Military Academy (CRMA) in Thailand--the first PMA contingent to visit the CRMA.
On top of the graduating PMA Sanlingan Class 2005 is Brian Cera Rayton of Lipa City, who has chosen the Air Force as his branch of service.
He received from President Arroyo the Presidential Saber and the PGMA
Achievement Award for Academic Excellence and received seven other awards.
Ton is joining the Philippine Army along with 80 other new graduates including six female graduates.
Thirty-eight in their batch are joining the Philippine Navy, of which only one is a female; while 25 are joining the Philippine Air Force, including five females.
While having imbibed the military bearing, this young man maintains his sense of humor, the same humor he was known for as a younger man who almost forgot his dream of joining the military.
This mischievous self is manifested when asked what his most memorable experience in the Academy was.
Looking through his list of achievements, you would imagine that his most memorable experience had something to do with all these, but no.
Instead, it was an exam in Literature during his first year.
He said he was stumped by one exam question that asked them to write down the names of the characters in a short story they were assigned to read.
"Ang akong gipangsulat pangalan sa akong seatmate og classmates. Hapit ko gibuhatan og Deliquency Report sa akong teacher (I wrote down the names of my seatmate and classmates. My teacher was very tempted to cite me in a delinquency report for that)," he laughingly recalled.
It wasn't all fun though and he admits to feeling dead serious about pursuing a career in the military.
"Kadtong ni-join ko sa PMA, tan-aw nako, wala na ko'y future kung naa ko sa gawas sa academy (When I joined the PMA I felt that I no longer had any future outside the academy)," he said. This thought was what made him persevere and excel.
Indeed, dreams do come true especially for those who strive and persevere. PMA is just a beginning of a lifetime career that Ton will continue in the battlefield.
Asked what he can share with those who would want to follow his footsteps, Ton said, "It is not certain that you will win, but make it certain that you try."
But even before the gravity or simplicity of this motto could sink in, he readily says that he got this from his younger brother.
Unassuming to the end. A true mark of a leader, indeed.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (March 20, 2005 issue)
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