On the battlefield, one needs bravery to survive. But one soldier needed a different kind of bravery: love in battle. Just days before Valentine’s day, two lovers celebrated their love with rifles slung on their back in the jungles of Sultan Kudarat.
During combat patrol, CPOL Denemar Albani, a radioman, proposes to his girlfriend, combat medic/sniper Pvt. Christine Porcadilla. Their team was resting in a patrol base in a forest in Barangay Titulok, Bagumbayan, Sultan Kudarat.
Their comrades from the 33rd Infantry Makabayan Batallion helped in Albani’s proposal. Fellow soldiers from the batallion held placards with the words “Will you marry me?” with smiles on their faces. Right on cue, Albani gets down on one knee in front of Porcadilla and asks her to marry him. Porcadilla accepts and eagerly says “Yes, Sergeant.”
Proving love in battle
Albani, 27, and Porcadilla, 26, were members of the Special Reaction Platoon in their batallion. They have fought for the government against Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, New People's Army, and several drug syndicates, according to the military.
Porcadilla is a native of Sultan Kudarat. She caught Albani’s eye back in 2014, when she was still a member of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) in her province.
“I saw her there and I love everything about her,” Albani, Zamboanga City native, recalls.
“She always makes me smile,” he says. He adds that “She jokes a lot. She’s very thoughtful. I was touched by her honesty, so I gave her a chocolate, a bar of Snickers.”
Christine says in a Philippine Daily Inquirer article that Albani’s chocolate gift was “just a token of friendship” back then. However, she admitted that she was already drawn to him by then as well. “He’s so handsome,” she said.
Bound by oath and duty, they were once separated for some time.
“I thought I lost everything I felt for her when we lost communication for a long time. But when I saw her, I was determined to make her my wife,” Albani recalls.
Marriage and love in battle
Unit commander Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc immediately signed the couple's permit to marry, after completing the requirements set by the Philippine Army. Cabunoc then reminded the pair that their home life is not the battlefield.
"Kailangan magrerespetuhan tayo. Wala nang ranggo-ranggo pagdating sa bahay. Minsan 'yung asawa ang magiging boss, noh?" Cabunoc said.
"Mayroon kayong sapat na pondo, dodoblado ang inyong sweldo, at ipapaaabot sa inyong mga magulang ang aking congratulations," Cabunoc said before finally signing their official permit to marry.
[“You need to respect each other. There are no ranks when at home,” Cabunoc said. “Sometimes the wife is the boss, right?” Cabunoc joked.
“You have enough funds and your salaries will double. Extend my congratulations to your parents,” Cabunoc said before finally signing their official permit to marry.]
Albani said he would respect his future wife’s decision to stay in the military if she wanted to. “What is important is we love each other,” he said.
The couple will marry on April 28, 2018.
Sources: ABS-CBN News, GMA News, Kicker Daily News
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