A Day at Work: Heroes' Cemetery, Fort Bonifacio

May 5, 2011: As part of my part-time historical writing-research duties with the Department of National Defense - Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, I accompanied my bosses to the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Cemetery of Heroes) in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, in particular the planned park & shrine to Filipino war veterans found in the still under-construction sewage and treatment complex of the Manila Water Company.

With me in the convoy from Camp Aguinaldo to Fort Bonifacio were friend and fellow PVAO writer Jeremiah Faustino; Ret. Col. Cesar P. Pobre, Ph. D. of the AFP-OSSS (whom I collaborated with in writing the book "The Freedom Fighters of Northern Luzon"); ma'am Teresita Cuevas, Chief of PVAO's Military Shrines Service (now the Veterans Memorial and Historical Division, to which I am assigned); and sir Noel Biscocho, PVAO Shrine Curator. We hooked up with the Manila Water team and General Ernesto Carolina, PVAO Administrator in the cemetery.

We then proceeded to an ocular inspection of the future park and shrine, the plaques/markers of which will contain historical background text that we will be preparing.

After the visit, we headed to nearby Serendra for an early dinner. Admittedly, I have never been at ease in plush and high-end places, but when dinner's for free, any discomfort goes out the window! In any case, Jere and I hitched a ride on Dr. Pobre's car back to Quezon City. A day well spent.