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Cory's four motionless honor guards found relief in the rain


FOR CORY. The four servicemen who stood still beside Mrs. Aquino for eight hours attributed their endurance to the former president. Aie Balagtas See
Exhaustion was beginning to creep into Navy Petty Officer 3 Edgardo Rodriguez’s body as he stood motionless atop former President Corazon Aquino’s cortege just an hour after it left the Manila Cathedral on Wednesday. Rodriguez, 37, was among the four honor guards from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) tasked to “send off" the late democracy icon to her resting place at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City. Knowing it would not be too long before his knees collapsed, a thirsty Rodriguez found himself reciting a simple prayer in his head. "Sabi ko kay Tita Cory, ‘Malakas ka naman kay Jesus, tulungan mo na lang po kami… Nagdasal ako na sana umulan (I prayed to Mrs. Aquino, ‘Please help us since you are close with Jesus.’ I prayed for rain.),'" Rodriguez told GMANews.TV. And even in death, the woman known to have mobilized thousands of Filipinos through prayers – especially in the historic EDSA People Power Revolution of 1986 – seemed to know how to answer other people’s prayers, too. Only minutes after Rodriguez started his silent prayer, rain poured. Fearing he might be caught moving by his superiors down below, Rodriguez, in a desperate move, covertly began sipping the rain water running down his face.
FANTASTIC FOUR
A resolution commending the four honor guards of the late former President Corazon Aquino during the funeral procession will be filed at the Senate. Senator Pilar Juliana Cayetano said PO1 Danilo Malab, Pfc. Antonio Cadiente, Airman 2nd Class Gener Laguindam, and Navy Petty Officer 3 Edgardo Rodriguez were role models of what a public servant should be. "They did their job well and I will file a resolution commending them because it is symbolic of what people in public service should do. Whatever your job is, do it well," Cayetano said Thursday during the weekly news forum at the Senate.
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But despite acting like a stoic statue for more or less eight hours without food, water, and rest, Rodriguez and the other honor guards felt it was their greatest honor to be beside Mrs. Aquino before she was buried. Rodriguez said he was handpicked from a pool of officers from the military’s Office of Reservist and Reserved Forces Development, which is headquartered along Manila’s Roxas Boulevard. "Ang sarap ng pakiramdam na natapos mo iyong mission mo at napagsilbihan mo ang isang dating pangulo (It felt good to have accomplished your job and served a former president at the same time)," he said. Inspiration The honor guards caught the public’s attention after displaying “discipline" in performing their tasks on the grueling funeral procession without lifting a single finger. "Mahirap talaga ang pagtayo. Kung hindi umulan, baka hindi na namin nakayanan iyon. Ang sakit ng katawan namin (It was really difficult. Everything was made easier by the rain)," Rodriguez said. While on top of the truck, the honor guards were also treated by some supporters with the traditional throwing of coins. "Tumama na iyong iba sa mukha ko. Pero hindi ako umilag... Bawal gumalaw eh (Some of the coins were already hitting my face. But I did not move because we are not allowed to)," PO1 Danilo Malab Jr., the lone policeman in the group, told GMA News' Jun Veneracion. The honor guards said they would secretly stretch their fingers and toes whenever they felt numbness in their limbs just to get the blood flowing. Surprisingly, the four also confessed they did not feel the need to urinate any time during the long stretch of the procession, although Malab said he immediately sought a comfort room after the burial. "Diretso ako sa CR (I went straight to the CR)," he said. The honor guards attributed their endurance to their rigorous training in their respective camps, including regular physical fitness training. They said this prepared them for the worst of conditions.
SALUTE. (Left to right) Navy's Edgardo Rodriguez, Army's Antonio Cadiente, and Air Force's Gener Laguindam salute the military seal in Camp Aguinaldo Thursday. Mark Merueñas
"Since newly grad pa lang ako sa (Public Safety Basic Recruit Course), malakas-lakas pa naman po ang katawan ko (Since I’ve just graduated from PSBRC, my body was still fit for the task)," said the 25-year-old Malab. Rodriguez said he has yet to tell his parents in his native Cavite about his experience as one of Mrs. Aquino’s final honor guards. But he said he was certain they would have known it by now from the news. "Ang mga anak ko nga dito sa Manila, tuwang-tuwa nang nakita ako sa TV (My kids broke into cheer upon seeing me on the television)," said Rodriguez, a father of three. Private First Class Antonio Cadiente, another honor guard representing the Philippine Army, said Mrs. Aquino inspired him to literally "stand his ground" that day. "Inspirasyon ko si Mrs. Cory at inspirasyon ko rin na gampanan ang tungkulin ko (I was inspired by Mrs. Cory and my duty)," admitted the Isabela native, who entered military service in 2005. The 23-year-old Cadiente was also among the soldiers guarding Mrs. Aquino’s casket while it was still at the Manila Cathedral days before. Airman Second Class Gener Laguindam said he "volunteered" to be one of the four honor guards, saying he was doing it as his means of paying tribute to the late President. He also said Mrs. Aquino’s throngs of supporters who braved strong winds and incessant rains were another factor that boosted his energy and kept him standing. "Ang mga tao ang nagbigay ng tibay sa amin. Kung nakaya nila, bakit di namin kakayanin (If they could do such sacrifice, why couldn’t we)?" said Laguindam, who like the other guards, took their positions virtually with “empty" stomachs.

The honor guards admitted they did not have a “decent" meal before ascending to the flatbed truck that carried Mrs. Aquino’s casket before noon. Cadiente made it a point to drink water before the procession while Rodriguez only ate sinangag (fried rice) for breakfast. Training PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa said he would be promoting Malab to PO2 after due deliberation. As for the three honor guards from the AFP, military spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner said they would be commended and given medals. "They represent the best in soldiery. They showed the best virtues of a soldier, with determination and discipline," Brawner said. When Mrs. Aquino’s casket was finally unloaded from the truck before 8 p.m., Rodriguez said he went directly to the Navy service coaster and rested his legs while he downed a packed meal. After that, he went straight home. Another day for the servicemen had just ended. If there was one new lesson he learned that day, it would have to be this: "Masarap pala ang ulan (I didn’t think rain tasted that good)," he said chuckling. - GMANews.TV
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