Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:24:00 08/06/2009
MANILA, Philippines—The four honor guards who stood motionless and braved the rains for almost nine hours atop the flat-bed truck that carried the late President Corazon Aquino from Manila Cathedral to Manila Memorial Park were trained to do just that.
They were handpicked from the elite honor guard units of the Philippine Navy, Army, Air Force and National Police, Navy spokesperson Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo told the Inquirer last night.
He identified them as
Pfc. Antonio Cadiente, Airman 2nd Class Gener Laguindam, Petty Officer 3 Edgardo Rodriguez and Police Officer 1 Danilo Maalab.
“They’re specially trained to undertake such ceremonial duties, specially to bear such difficult task to be immobile,” Arevalo said. He added they were trained even to resist “the call of nature.”
Rigorous field training and routine formation were among the secrets to their remarkable strength, he added.
If nature called, they would have to do it where they were standing, he said. But since the four men were among the fittest in the pack, it was expected that they would stand still up to the final moments of their task for the day, he said.
The four honor guards boarded the truck at past 11 a.m. when police generals, acting as pallbearers, carried Aquino’s wooden casket out of the cathedral after the more than two-hour Requiem Mass.
They got off the truck past 8 p.m. when they reached Manila Memorial Park where the revered People Power heroine was laid to rest next to her martyred husband, former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.
“Apart from discipline inherent in security forces, the prestige of the various services of the AFP and PNP is at stake here,” he said.
He added that he was inclined to believe that aside from skills acquired from training, it was the privilege and the honor to stand guard on the remains of Aquino, “the epitome of sacrifice, selflessness and strength,” that made them last long, said Arevalo.
“That was their own tribute to the former President,” he added.
even on part na rin cguro,,bilang return sa kabutihan nya sa ating mga pilipino,,,un ngang TV nmin starts ng 6am pinatay is 9pm na halos,,dere-deretso tlga,,since my cable kmi kaya even on CNN i watched it.
ReplyDeletenaisip kaya ni RAMOS even ni PGMA ? "kapag cla namatay ganito din kaya gagawin ng sambayanang pilipino sa kanila?