The Patriot

Some call him the revolutionary "Che Guevarra" of Dumaguete, some call him "Bob Marley" because of his dreadlocks, and some call him "The Lost Commando" because of his full battle gear outfit. If you want to catch him and get his autograph, you can see him at the boulevard at 6am, then he moves on towards the gates near the flag pole of Silliman Hall then on to the flag pole at the Freedom Park by 7am.

I came across him this morning while I was driving my bike and decided to stop by and have a little chat with him. Here goes the chat transcript:

Me: Hello Manong. Pwede ko mangutana? (Hello Mr. Can I ask you a few questions?)
Gentleman: Maayong Buntag! (Good Morning!)

Me: Aw! Maayong buntag pod Manong. (Oh! Good morning to you too Mr.)

Me: Nagunsa man ka dire? (What are you doing here?)
Gentleman: Nag poste ko dire. (I am on my post.)

Me: Nagposte? Unsa pasabot nimo? (On your post? What do you mean?)
Gentleman: Mao na ang tulumanon sa usa ka Armed Forces of the Philippines na magposte (It is a duty of every Armed Forces of the Philippines to be in his post)

Me: Ah mao ba? So naa diay ka sa army? (Oh I see. So you are in the army?)
Gentleman: Oo, Brigadier General ko. 24 na ko ka tuig nag serbisyo sa Philippine army. Na assistant ko ni Gen. Fidel Ramos sauna, na under pod ko ni Espina pero karon ako maoy kinatas-an og rangko sa tibuok Pilipinas. (Yes, I am a Brigadier General. 24 years of service in the Philippine Army. I was the Assistant of Gen. Fidel Ramos, I was also under Espina but now I am the highest ranking officer in the Philippines.)

Me: Unsa imo ngalan? (What is your name?)
Gentleman: Ako si Brigadier General Juanito Riseñas Cuyad ... c u y a d. (I am Brigadier General Juanito Riseñas Cuyad...that is spelled out as C - u - y - a - d. amazingly, he was really able to spell out his name!)

Me: So asa man ang imong mga kauban? (So where is the rest of your brigade?)
Gentleman: Tua sila nagkatag-katag, ang uban tua sa Camp Crame. (They are all spread out, others are in Camp Crame.)

Me: Paghuman ani sa imo duty asa man ka pagkahuman? (After your duty, where do you go?)
Gentleman: Naa pa ko lain duty. Ang army tulo kabuok ang tulumanon nga departamento - and munisipyo or capitolyo, ang unibersidad og ang boulevard. (I still have other duties. The army serves 3 departments, the municipality or capitol, the university and the boulevard.)

Me: Taga asa man ka? (Where are you from?)
Gentleman: Taga Bohol ko, Sierabollones pero ang mga Cuyad sa Jagna ang among kagikan. (I am from Bohol, from the town of Sierabollones but the Cuyads roots from the town of Jagna.)

Me: Oi mao ba?! Taga Bohol man sad ko. Kaliwat diay ka ni Dagohoy, kaila ka ni Francisco Dagohoy? (Oh really? I am from Bohol too. So you run the blood lines of Dagohoy, do you know Francisco Dagahoy? - holds the distinction of having led the longest revolt in Philippine history against the Spaniards, the famous Dagohoy Rebellion from 1744 - 1829. )

Gentleman: Hahahaha! Boang man tingali ka. Dili mi amigo niya. Nagskwela pa tingali ko anang panahona og ikaw wala pa ka matawo. (Hahahaha! You must be crazy!, We are not friends of course, I was probably still in school and you were not yet born during his time) - He was almost close but not close enough :)

Me: Ok Manong, salamat sa pag gayon sa imong oras. (Ok Mr., thank you for your time.)
Gentleman: Tig byahe man ko sa dagat ug ting pyesta sa atoa sa Tagbilaran. kita unya ta didto, mamiesta ta ha. Cge salamat pod. Ayo ayo. (I also travel the sea during fiesta season in Tagbilaran. Lets meet up one day. Thank you. Take care.)

(Click to Enlarge Photo)

Well, although he sounded like a few screws where a little loose, I still think he is a fine gentleman and a true patriot.

Peace!

Special Thanks to Hersley Ven for sharing his Flickr photo of "The Lost Commando".