I was only a teenager during the Martial Law regime. At that time, schools and colleges held conflicting beliefs and ideologies. When I was 19, I stopped studying to join the Marines. I was sent to different battle zones in Mindanao.
I fought against my Muslim brothers whom the government labeled as rebels. And over time, I saw the pointlessness of the war. After five long years, I withdrew from the military to continue my studies in agriculture which I believed could help more people.
After graduating in 1984, I spent the next 4 years teaching in college until I had the chance to work abroad. I worked as a farm technician in Kuwait and Libya for the next 9 years and, after being homesick for so long, I decided to come home to my family. And for the last 17 years, I’ve been teaching agriculture to the local farmers in a local government unit. I haven’t stopped since, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop long after retirement.
