Technical Sergeant Ramon Cabeguin: lifesaver gives hope

By Maria Althea Teves, abs-cbnNEWS.com/ Newsbreak | 04/08/2009 12:41 PM


Saving a man whose family was carried away by the floodwaters was one of Ramon Cabeguin’s most unforgettable experiences. “I thought it was hard to save lives, it is even harder when the person does not want to be saved,” Cabeguin told abs-cbnnews.com/Newsbreak.

Cabeguin was part of a military rescue operation sent to Albay province in Bicol region to aid victims of Super typhoon Reming when the storm hit the country in 2006. As the storm raged on, Cabeguin and his fellow soldiers swam from tree to tree trying to save residents of a community that was ravaged by a flood of mud and volcanic debris.

While scouring the flood waters, Cabeguin saw a man holding on to a tree. The man was trying his best to hold on to his three children and his wife. Because of the strong flood currents, however, they were slowly slipping away from his grasp. Then, in a blink of an eye, Cabeguin saw that the man was no longer carrying anyone.

When he finally got to where the victim was, the man initially refused to be rescued believing his family was lost forever. Cabeguin told the victim not to lose hope, “You have to live, they might still be alive. Maybe they are already in the evacuation center [because others might have saved them].”

After much coaxing, the man finally agreed to be rescued. He never found his family but, months after the incident, he still thanked Cabeguin for rescuing him.

This was neither the first nor the last time Cabeguin participated in a rescue mission. As team leader of Armed Forces of the Philippine’s (AFP) Medical Team 2, he spends every day assisting doctors and doing medical missions.

He became team leader of the medical team because he was part of the top 10 of his graduating class in Basic Aid Management. “They required us to take first aid, and one thing led to another, I just worked hard and thought positive,” he said.

In 2004, Cabeguin was part of a team that bravely dived into the ocean to look for survivors of the burning Super Ferry in El Freile and Carballo islands.

Currently a corpsman at the military’s Medical Dispensary, Naval Station Legaspi and Naval Forces Southern Luzon, 43-year old Cabeguin has been in the military service for 23 years.

He also earned a Gold Cross Medal in December 31, 2001 for his exemplary act of courage when he rushed to the front line to save wounded soldiers during a massive operation against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

On March 26, 2009, Cabeguin was one of ten soldiers who were honored at the Malacañang Palace for being The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS) for 2009.

Organized by the Metrobank Foundation, Inc. and the Rotary Club of Makati-Metro, the TOPS Awards honors Filipino soldiers for their professional and personal abilities, and for their contributions to the AFP and community involvement.

Asked how he feels about receiving the award, Cabeguin simply replied that he is, “very thankful and very happy.”

Recalling the time when the man who did not want to be saved during the Bicol storm came back to thank him, Cabeguin said, “to give hope is a blessing.”


http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/features/04/08/...aver-gives-hope

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