MANILA, Philippines - A netizen’s social media post on a heart-tugging story of an Uber driver whom is a former soldier who took the early retirement went viral on Wednesday.
A certain Bea Tan shared on Facebook a long conversation with the driver who has revealed that he was there in the tragic Mamasapano clash on January 25, 2015.
To protect the identity of the driver, Tan did not disclose his name but the actual flow of conversation is as follows.
The driver opened up the conversation saying he wasn’t still quite used to the traffic in Metro Manila. In which, Tan questioned if he had gone abroad. To her surprise, the driver said he wasn’t and confessed that he worked in the province as a former soldier who took an early retirement.
“Sa Samar po ako na-assign ng 7 taon. 2 taon sa Cotabato at 18 na taon sa Zamboanga. 27 years po. Halos buong buhay ko sundalo ako. Dito sa Metro Manila hindi ko na po alam ang daan pero sa Mindanao, kabisado ko kahit nakapikit.”
He also revealed that the Mamasapano incident caused his wife to go hysterical after assuming that he might be dead, when she found out that he is alive, she pleaded him to quit.
“Nandoon kami. Narinig ko ang lahat ng putukan. Narinig namin lahat pero ang sabi sa amin, wag lumusob. Noong hindi kami lumusob, kami naman ang nilusob.”
Tan narrated that the Uber driver has an apparent scar on his head which he shared that it was from another encounter wherein a bullet grazed his head. He even told her that his injuries from the Mamasapano incident were only “minor bruises.”
She went on how much the driver loved serving his country. On her sensitive questions, Tan weighed in if the driver will answer it, much to her surprise, he let her in on all of her queries.
The driver also gave her an idea to a typical soldier’s life. He even shared that he graduated as an engineer. On the days that there are no battles, everyone works on their respective fields.
Tan’s Uber driver also shared story about his family. His wife who’s a UP law graduate now works in the Supreme Court and his two children whom the oldest is in PMA. He then mentioned about his parents that are both in the army before they were killed in an encounter.
In the end of her post, Tan asked if he would like to leave the country like his siblings did, which he declined.
“Wala akong balak. Dito na lang ako. Marami pa akong magagawa dito. Marami pa akong mapagsisilbihan dito. Kaya kayo ma'am, doon kayo sa kung saan mapapakinabangan pa kayo. Wala akong kilalang tao na piniling maglingkod at sa huli ay nagsisi.”
But Tan disagreed and told him that not all are selfless and willing to serve the country. He then gave a nod and said something that she wouldn’t forget:
“He told me that perhaps, the reason why some people are not built for service is because they were not chosen to serve. He said that more often than not, the choice to serve does not fall on our hands. Rather, it's the other way around. "Ikaw, ikaw ang pipiliin ng serbisyo." Service will choose you and when it knocks on your door, you are one of the few who are being called to serve.”
Tan expressed admiration to the altruistic Uber driver.
“A soldier, who after 27 long years of being away, has finally decided to come home,” Tan said.
Here's the full Facebook post:
The Mamasapano incident is a tragic clash that occurred in Tukanalipao, Mamasapano as the Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police was in the mission to capture or kill wanted Malaysian terrorist and bomb-maker Zulkifli Abdhir and other Malaysian terrorists or high-ranking members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).
Though the mission was tagged as successful, it led to horrifying death of 44 men of the elite force. Other 29 SAF survivors who were encircled by the enemies were rescued by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
--Mae Tuazon, The Summit Express
A certain Bea Tan shared on Facebook a long conversation with the driver who has revealed that he was there in the tragic Mamasapano clash on January 25, 2015.
To protect the identity of the driver, Tan did not disclose his name but the actual flow of conversation is as follows.
The driver opened up the conversation saying he wasn’t still quite used to the traffic in Metro Manila. In which, Tan questioned if he had gone abroad. To her surprise, the driver said he wasn’t and confessed that he worked in the province as a former soldier who took an early retirement.
“Sa Samar po ako na-assign ng 7 taon. 2 taon sa Cotabato at 18 na taon sa Zamboanga. 27 years po. Halos buong buhay ko sundalo ako. Dito sa Metro Manila hindi ko na po alam ang daan pero sa Mindanao, kabisado ko kahit nakapikit.”
He also revealed that the Mamasapano incident caused his wife to go hysterical after assuming that he might be dead, when she found out that he is alive, she pleaded him to quit.
“Nandoon kami. Narinig ko ang lahat ng putukan. Narinig namin lahat pero ang sabi sa amin, wag lumusob. Noong hindi kami lumusob, kami naman ang nilusob.”
Tan narrated that the Uber driver has an apparent scar on his head which he shared that it was from another encounter wherein a bullet grazed his head. He even told her that his injuries from the Mamasapano incident were only “minor bruises.”
She went on how much the driver loved serving his country. On her sensitive questions, Tan weighed in if the driver will answer it, much to her surprise, he let her in on all of her queries.
The driver also gave her an idea to a typical soldier’s life. He even shared that he graduated as an engineer. On the days that there are no battles, everyone works on their respective fields.
Tan’s Uber driver also shared story about his family. His wife who’s a UP law graduate now works in the Supreme Court and his two children whom the oldest is in PMA. He then mentioned about his parents that are both in the army before they were killed in an encounter.
In the end of her post, Tan asked if he would like to leave the country like his siblings did, which he declined.
“Wala akong balak. Dito na lang ako. Marami pa akong magagawa dito. Marami pa akong mapagsisilbihan dito. Kaya kayo ma'am, doon kayo sa kung saan mapapakinabangan pa kayo. Wala akong kilalang tao na piniling maglingkod at sa huli ay nagsisi.”
But Tan disagreed and told him that not all are selfless and willing to serve the country. He then gave a nod and said something that she wouldn’t forget:
“He told me that perhaps, the reason why some people are not built for service is because they were not chosen to serve. He said that more often than not, the choice to serve does not fall on our hands. Rather, it's the other way around. "Ikaw, ikaw ang pipiliin ng serbisyo." Service will choose you and when it knocks on your door, you are one of the few who are being called to serve.”
Tan expressed admiration to the altruistic Uber driver.
“A soldier, who after 27 long years of being away, has finally decided to come home,” Tan said.
Here's the full Facebook post:
The Mamasapano incident is a tragic clash that occurred in Tukanalipao, Mamasapano as the Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police was in the mission to capture or kill wanted Malaysian terrorist and bomb-maker Zulkifli Abdhir and other Malaysian terrorists or high-ranking members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).
Though the mission was tagged as successful, it led to horrifying death of 44 men of the elite force. Other 29 SAF survivors who were encircled by the enemies were rescued by the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
--Mae Tuazon, The Summit Express
