Metro Manila - Soldiers who were wounded in action caught the media attention when President Rodrigo Duterte went to the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center (AFPMC) to pay the soldiers a visit.There was a brief but powerful encounter between Pres. Duterte and the blinded officer 2Lt Jerome Jacuba that moved the viewers making the news viral online.
Jacuba was blinded after an improvised explosive device (IED) buried in sand set off near him during a clearing operation in Maguindanao. He has been in the army for about six years. He started as a Private First Class (PFC) in 2010 and then he became a 2nd Lieutenant in 2014.
Jacuba is now learning to accept his situation said his brother. Soon he will be studying Braille and how to use a computer with assistive technology. But if there is one thing that makes him sad it is that he can no longer see the beautiful faces of his two baby daughters. His youngest child, turning 2 years old this year, was ony 22 days old when he last saw her. He never had the chance to go back home since he was deployed in Maguindanao.
Despite his situation Jacuba said “Gusto ko pa rin mag-serbisyo sa bayan sa kahit anong paraan. (I still want to serve the country in any possible way.)” He recalled what Maj Gen. R Demosthenes Santillian, Vice Commander of the Philippine Army, said long ago to a soldier who lost a leg, “there are many ways to serve the army.” He said that these words is where he gets motivation to face his situation.
A willing eye donor
**Without his eyesight, 2Lt Jacuba hold Patter's hand as a way to connect with him. **
On August 8 a senior citizen named Charles Patter came to UNTV, a broadcasting network, to express his willingness to donate his eyes to Jacuba. UNTV asked the assistance of the Philippine Army to help Mr. Patter reach Jacuba and explore the possibility of helping his eyesight be revived.
Mr. Patter lost his wife to cervical cancer. "Sometimes I feel like I have no purpose," said Patter. He added that he wanted to change that by giving his eyes to Jacuba.
Patter also recalls how he struggled in fighting for his wife's life, doing everything to raise any amount for his wife's medication. He said that he would want to be of help to Jacuba.
On the next day, the Philippine Army helped Patter get in touch with AFPMC for a consultation if he could give his eyes to Jacuba. Jacuba’s right eye is completely damaged while his left eye has retina detachment. AFPMC Ophthalmologist Major William Recuenco informed Mr. Patter that Jacuba’s eyes cannot be cured using today's technology.
Heart and soul healing fast
Mr. Patter met Jacuba on the same day. There was disappointment in his voice as he tells Jacuba that the eye transplant would not be possible. Jacuba on the other hand tried to uplift the spirit of the old man by saying “huwag po kayo ma-low morale...marami pa pong ibang paraan para mag-ka-purpose (don’t be sad...there are a lot of other ways to find a purpose.)”
2Lt Jacuba encourages Patter to be optimistic because he is still have the strength to do a lot of things.
“Pero maraming salamat po dahil may taong katulad niyo na willing tumulong, kaso may hindi po pwede talaga na gawin...Ito pong akin, it’s a matter of acceptance. (I am thankful because there is a person like you who is willing to help but there are things that cannot be done. My case, it’s a matter of acceptance.) ” Jacuba said with hope.
It has been five months since Jacuba lost his eyesight. He still have scars from the IED shrapnels. If you look closely you’ll also see that there are still grains of sand embedded on his skin. At this rate, his full physical recovery is taking time but with the fortitude that he has shown we can see that his heart and soul will heal fast. #
gayle bitarra
wow crazy!!
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