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About Udic |
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Udic is the third guy after me. Named Uldarico by my Mom and Dad, we fondly call him Udic but he is known as Ric in Toronto among his friends and acquaintances. He was a no nonsense guy back when we were young, always very serious in what he did. He finished elementary with honors and was an Ayala Corporation scholar throughout his high school years at Don Bosco Technical Institute Makati, a first class school in the heart of Makati, Manila's financial district. Still a scholar, he went on to La Salle Taft where he completed industrial technology. He then got a job in one of the local companies and went to enroll for a B.S. Mechanical Engineering course at Santo Tomas University while still working. It was at this point that he learned he passed the exams for a place at the prestigious Philippine Military Academy. It was a perfect morning when me and Dad took him to the bus for his first day as a cadet. I was also set to go for my first day in my new job after graduation. I was also excited for him. When the bus left, I caught a glimpse of him looking wary and surprised by it all. Then, Dad and me stared at the moving bus as it wound its way out of our sight. I don't know if Dad was glad or sad. All he could do was to let out a sigh. Then the years in the Academy flew quite fast. Except for the occasional visit and vacations he was on his own while I was starting on my own too. During his last year in the Academy, my other brother (we lost him a couple of months back), Tutch, came in as a plebe and their experience together was another story After graduation, he married his girlfriend, Mariam and they started a family. He applied as a cadet pilot in the Air Force flying school but was rejected due to eye defect. He spent one year in an air force intelligence unit doing something he loved most- play basketball. He is a talented ball player. After a year of waiting , he was accepted to train as a chopper pilot. High performance aircraft was out of the question due to his eye defect. |
His years as a chopper pilot in the Air Force brought us untold anxieties as he was assigned to fend off insurgencies and rebellions and numerous coup d' etats against the then Pres. Corazon Aquino. Through all these conflicts, he never wavered in his conviction to side with the government and protect the constitution for which he was sworn to defend. Due to his gung-ho attitude and fearless devotion to duty, several times his life was put in danger either by enemy fire or by accident. The last chopper accident sidelined his career, so he opted to settle in Canada with his family. He started his life literally from scratch, taking jobs as they come along. The, the most devastating news struck him- Mariam had cancer of the breast. After an eight year battle, she finally succumbed and he was left alone to face the future not sure when he will stop counting days and start living them.
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