About Me
Good day! I am P/CDT Estilles, Jay-Jay Lozada, a member of MASIDTALAK Class of 2023. The First Platoon Leader of Foxtrot Company. This website is all about the activities during our Cadet Attachment Program, which will give you a glimpse of the life of a Cadet as well as our Cadet Attachment Program. I hope you will enjoy this presentation of mine.
FAMILY: A BLESSING I HAVE
George Santayana once said, "The family is one of nature's masterpieces."
One of life’s greatest blessings is having a family. It is a composition of people loving each other amongst differences, understanding each other throughout confusion, and supporting each other amidst challenges.
I, for one, have this family that has been challenged and tested by all obstacles but was able to conquer them. To begin with, my family has experienced financial deprivation, considering that my mother was a housewife and my father was a mere tricycle driver. Every day, my parents struggle to make ends meet. At times, we end up knocking on my aunt’s door, asking for food. During my sixth grade, my family’s financial condition became aggravated due to my mother’s illness. My father finds it more difficult since he is the only one finding all the resources to provide for my mother’s medication and our home expenses. But even in this worse situation, he never gave up. He doubled his efforts to provide us with all we need. Every day was uncertain, but we were able to get by.
Upon witnessing all my parents’ sacrifices, even at an early age, I made a promise that someday my parents would never get to experience again what they had gone through. I will exert all my efforts to give them all the comforts of life as a reward for their sacrifices.
As I grew older and reached high school, I became interested in taking up the PNPACAT and becoming a policeman. Their posture, bearing, and walking with pride made me enthusiastic and adore them. I also thought that being a policeman is a noble profession, and our community gives them high regard. From that time on, I pledged to eventually join them to serve the country and provide for my family as well.
Being an aspiring Cadet of PNPA, I had that mindset of serving the country and helping my family. Fortunately, an opportunity knocked on my door. I passed the requirement and made it to the Academy. I consider this one of God’s greatest blessings bestowed upon me. Of course, the journey was not a piece of cake. There were struggles alongside it. During my application, I nearly withdrew due to financial constraints. Nevertheless, by God’s grace, I was able to overcome those problems with the help of my family and friends, who supported me in pursuing my dreams. Finally, I am getting closer to achieving my objectives.
Today, as I am about to reach all my dreams, I look back on all those sacrifices made by my parents. To my mother, who was my nurse when I was sick, my counselor when I was troubled, and my supporter in all my endeavors. To my father, who provided us with everything he has by being so selfless and hardworking, I owe everything to you. I thank God for blessing me with such wonderful parents. Soon enough, I will fulfill my promise to both of you. I will be able to repay all the blood, sweat, and tears you have shed for our family. To end, serving the people and country makes life worth living.
FROM SQUADMATES TO SIBLINGS BY HEART
As I entered this portal of the academy, I was very fortunate to get to know about these four cadets, namely, SEAN RAEI PUNO, SHANNEN BALABA, CHRISTIAN ABUG, and VINCE EMMIL CABELLO. At first, we are just normal people back then. But as we became members of the Foxtrot Company and became squadmates, everything changed. We developed a sense of camaraderie with one another, and we nurtured the relationship by treating one another as siblings. Having them as part of my life made my cadetship memorable and fulfilling.
SIBLINGS BY HEART
A sibling is a brother or sister—someone who shares a common biological parent or parents with you. Siblings often have a unique bond that is built on shared experiences, memories, and a lifetime of family connections. While sibling relationships can be complicated and may include sibling rivalry or conflict, they can also be some of the most important and enduring relationships in a person's life. Siblings can be a source of support, comfort, and guidance and can play a significant role in shaping each other's personalities, values, and beliefs. Whether you have a close relationship with your siblings or not, they are an integral part of your family and your life story.
Living in this world, one will always have those people who will be there for him. They are those who will never leave his side, whether in blissful and remarkable moments or heartbreaking and tough ones. Specifically, the ones referred to are his parents and siblings. Unfortunately, having a sibling has no chance for me since I am an only child. At home, aside from my parents, I never had someone to talk to about my daily activities, unfold my secrets, confess my faults, and share my triumphs and mishaps. This makes having a sibling a strange feeling for me that somehow makes my civilian life a bit uncomfortable. Some part of me looks for something missing.
As an only child, I get curious about what it is like to have a sibling. There are times that I tend to ask some of my friends about it, and I get various answers. Some say that it is quite annoying since their siblings are stubborn at times; they have to share almost everything with the other siblings; they compete for their parent's attention; and sometimes they argue with each other. Others say that it is favorable since they have someone to play with, a hand doing household chores, someone to talk with, and someone to count on. Hearing these made me think that having a sibling is fun with craziness on the side.
As I entered the Academy, I was able to meet a lot of strangers. And as the days went by, these strangers were the ones with whom I felt comfortable, enjoyed anything done with them, brought me back to my senses during the confusion, and lightened my load during tough times. We shared our food, stories, problems, and successes.
We called ourselves squad mates, but for me, I had found a sibling in each of them. For this, I am more than blessed and grateful to have met them on this journey. They have given me a great experience of what it is like to have siblings—maybe not by blood but by heart. For me, they are not merely my squadmates. They are my siblings. To you, my siblings, we may part ways due to the call of duty, but there will always be a space in my heart for the four of you. Padayon lang kita!
This picture was taken during our class pictorial. This is a reminder that our cadetship life has made a bit of progress, and this is an obstacle added for us to dig deeper and to maintain being optimistic. Being a second-class cadet with a complete number of our squad made for a stronger relationship with one another. This only indicates that we are doing great and are close to reaching our goal.