RECOVERING FROM THE WOUNDS

The road to recovery for this 37-year-old soldier was Ramallosa’s hardest battle yet. Left in their camp to recover from his fatal wound, he suffered from depression.

“Hindi madaling maging sundalo dahil mas kalaban mo ang sarili mo (It’s not easy being a soldier because you become your own enemy),” he stated. “Minsan nag-iisip na rin nang kung ano-ano sa kubo, [lalo] na at malayo kami sa aming mga pamilya. Mahirap. (Sometimes, our minds wander, especially because we are far from our families. It’s hard.)”

According to Healthline. com, it was common for soldiers who fought in battle to suffer from depression. Ramallosa, who has been through tough times, especially when his patient died under his care, was no exception.

However, Ramallosa found solace in the company of a few puppies whom he rescued from the side of the road. “Yung mga aso yung nagbigay sakin ng reason magsurvive at may dahilan ulit makayanan yung kalungkutan dito (The dogs gave me a reason to survive and endure despite my depression),” shared Ramallosa.

Saving them was only the beginning of his mission. He also aimed to promote animal welfare in Butig after witnessing cruelty toward dogs and cats.

“May mga Muslim kasi na sinasaktan o kaya tinatapon na lang yung mga aso dito. Kaya parang simula [noon], naging layunin ko nang tulungan yung mga asong minamaltrato, (There are Muslims who hurt or throw away dogs here. Since then, it became my goal to to help abused dogs.) s” he shared.

According to Dr. Ayoub M. Banderker, a veterinary surgeon, it was a sad reality that there were still some Muslims who mistreated dogs because “Islam forbids them to keep a dog” and dogs were perceived as unclean, as mentioned in the Animals in Islam website.

Just like Dr. Banderker, Ramallosa wanted to change the community’s perspective to help lessen animal cruelty in the war zone. “Isang malaking challenge din talaga na baguhin yung nakasanayan ng mga sibilyan. (It’s a big challenge to change people’s ways.)”