Message to my classmates of BPHS'74

To Olivia and all my classmates of BHS 74,

Thanks a lot of your greetings. It is so nice to hear from our own classmates to have that compliment.

Be informed that I am proud of my rank. . . .to the bones. I earned this star not from the swivel or from the racking chair. But from hard work, great efforts and a lot of risk of life and cheating death, both as a combat officer ( for more than 8 years) and a James bond ( 23 years).

As a combat officer, my life was full of dangers, and calculated- risks, Most of the time , no pleasure nor leisure.. . No wine, no women and nor wealth. It is plain . . . all work, all walk and all war! But in general, it is full of challenge, thrill and adventure like a Rambo. .

I spent my first four years in the front line. One year as a platoon leader and as a Commanding Officer of a Battalion Strike Force with the 11th Infantry Battalion in Lanao del Sur ( 1979 to 1980). I served also as Battalion Operation and Intelligence Officer with the 38th Infantry Battalion up to 1983 in Central Mindanao, especially the Liguasan Marsh area bounded by the Municipalities of Datu Piang, Shariff Aguak ( the bailiwick of the famous Ampatuans), then Reina Regente up to Buluan, all of Maguindanao province, the homeplace of the famous Muslim Hero Sultan Kudarat. . ..

From 2001 t0 2003, I served as Battalion Commander of the 6th Infantry Battalion. Of which, the first 6 months were spent in Cotabato City, with mission to hunt Kidnap for Ransom Groups and MILF forces. The next one year was in Sulu Province with mission to participate in the pacification campaign againts the revolting Misuari Breakaway Group(MBG) and the mujahideen Abu Sayaff. Life in Sulu then was hard. It was a very challenging place and even during the spanish and american times. Sulu is Sulu. . of no equal anywhere else in the country.

The last six months were spent at Buliok Complex, Pikit North Cotabato during an all- out- war with the MILF in the first quarter of 2003.My Battalion was given the mission to reinforce army troops in that complex, to depend the route going to the house of Hashim Salamat, which was then secured by a marine battalion. Fighting then was almost everyday and the area sounds like a New Year with the bangs and bongs, big and small. At the end of my assignment there, and after surviving an ambush at Brgy Bagoinged in that complex last 26 March 2003 plus the countless exchanges of fires, I was lucky to survive and earning a legend as the Badly Battered Bol-anon Battalion Commander of the Battle of Buliok ( all letter B). In the overall, I was then a victim of the collapse of the Peace Process during that period.

Last July of 2008, I was assigned as Brigade Commander of the Second Brigade of the 6th Infantry Division, covering the whole North Cotabato Province. This is still my assignment to date. When I was a newly arrival, the MILF was on limited offensive doing attrocities all in violation of the Peace Agreement and the Ceasefire. Moreover, they were doing encroachment, organized banditry, thievery, arson of around a hundred houses, murders and others. I recommended an all out counterattack to drive out the MILF from North Coabato and to send them back to Maguindanao. The MILF counteracted and an all out war spillovered the Moroland. .. I was the cause of the collapse of the Peace Process during the period.

All years in between were spent in the Intelligence Service Armed Forces of the Philippines.The last three years were spent as Defense and Armed Forces Attache in the Philippine Embassy there in Malaysia. Previous to that I was a Counter Terrorist Officer of the National Intelligence Agency covering the whole Mindanao Island. The remaining time were as a local James Bond from Tuguegarao to Tawitawi.

This is the time of long hair, mustache, barong tagalog, coat and tie, eskinol, etc. This is the time of learning dialects and languages, dinner, whisky, tango dances, singing, guitar, piano, etc. This is the time of wine, women, whispers, kiss and no-tell, omerta, etc. But on the other hand, here I earned the Nom de Guerre as Robert Rivas The Legend because of great works that only God and the Devils know. . . Don't try to know for you have no chance to become God. . Secondly, I will go to jail or in hell!

Others will remain secret. . What you see, what you read and what you hear, , just leave it here. . . See you then. . . and hasta la vista. . .

Your Classmate,

Alex

Gen. Alejandro Hornido Estomo