Widow treasures last gift from slain soldier

MANILA, Philippines - “Happy birthday and I love you.”

This text message may be an endearing though common one for many couples.

But Erlinda Rama will treasure it as one of the precious gifts – the last, in fact – she got from her husband, Army officer 1Lt. Kristopher Rama, who sent it before he was felled by sniper fire while leading his team against Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels in barangay Sta. Barbara, Zamboanga City early Thursday morning.

Along with her mother-in-law Teresita, Erlinda and her two-year-old daughter were at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City yesterday morning before proceeding to the Army headquarters at Fort Bonifacio to welcome home her fallen husband. Rama, 30, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy.

“While I mourn his death, I am also very happy to know that despite the danger around, I know he has not forgotten my birthday and even texted to greet me,” said the widow who celebrated her 28th birthday the day her husband died.

However, due to a telecommunication provider’s technical glitches, Rama’s message reached Erlinda an hour after he was hit in the head by a bullet.

“He died at about 5 a.m. but his message reached his wife Erlinda one hour late,” Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, commander of the 7th Civil Relations Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said.

While at Cabunoc’s office, the couple’s daughter who did not know of her father’s death, blurted out “Papa! Papa!” when she saw her father’s photograph on a computer monitor.

Cabunoc said the couple met in Trento, Agusan del Sur, Erlinda’s hometown where she worked at the Department of Education.

Being both shy, love bloomed between them through text exchanges. When they finally got together, they agreed to settle down for good.

After getting married, the couple moved to Norzagaray, Bulacan to be close to the Ramas and the headquarters of the Special Operations Command in Nueva Ecija, the mother unit of Rama, a member of an elite unit.

“We will bury him in Norzagaray, not at Libingan ng Bayani, so we will be close to him. For us, he is a hero. He died fighting for the country,” said Erlinda, adding that the outpouring of support makes her strong to stand up to the challenges ahead, especially now that she will be raising her child alone.

She said her husband died a hero, something she will always treasure.