By Hazel P. Villa
On the eve of her recognition day on June 2, Unah Gabrielle Robante did what many daughters of soldiers quietly wish they could do. She took a chance.
Knowing that her father, Staff Sergeant Mark Anthony P. Robante, 41, might miss yet another school milestone because of duty, the West Visayas State University Integrated Laboratory School completer sent a Facebook message to no less than the Commanding General of the Philippine Army, Lt. Gen. Antonio G. Nafarrete.
Her reason was simple: Lt. Gen. Nafarrete was not only the guest speaker for the June 3 University Recognition Program. He was also an alumnus of the same school and, like her father, a soldier.
“I just shot my shot,” Unah later said, explaining that she had read posts about Nafarrete being a product of ILS. She told him that her father had been in the service for more than 20 years and that his work often kept him away from family occasions.
Her message reached the right heart.
During his speech at the University Recognition Program on June 3, Lt. Gen. Nafarrete shared that he learned of Unah’s situation through Brig. Gen. Von Albert M. Sumergido, a former colleague of Robante. Upon hearing the story, the Army chief said Robante should be allowed to go home and attend his daughter’s awarding.
So, on a day filled with medals, certificates, and proud parents, Unah received something no plaque could replace: her father’s presence.
“I would really like to thank Lt. Gen. Nafarrete for giving me the opportunity to spend this special day with my father,” Unah said, her voice breaking. “His duty as a soldier for more than 20 years often keeps him away from us, from his family. But now that he’s here, I’m just really grateful and blessed.”
For Filipino families, graduation season is never just about awards. It is about sacrifice finally finding a seat in the audience. It is about fathers who come home from assignments, mothers who keep the household steady, and children who carry the weight of absence with grace.
Robante admitted he had not been sure he could attend. He had just been transferred to a new unit and was still adjusting. He had told his daughter he would come home “if there was a chance,” but he could not promise.
That chance came through a daughter’s courage.
At the recognition rites, Unah was honored as Rank 1 with High Honors and A.B. Dofitas Most Outstanding Completer. She was also a recipient of the Rotary Award for Academic Excellence, an Outstanding Students of Iloilo Top Circle Awardee from JCI Regatta, and recipient of awards in language arts, community service, forensics, sports, visual arts, scouting, and student council service.
But her most emotional achievement that day may have been bringing her father home.
“I understand that his line of work often requires him to keep others first,” Unah said. “But that doesn’t hinder the fact that he has really been a great part and great influence in my upbringing.” Then, in words many children of uniformed personnel know by heart, she added: “Thank you, Pa, for everything.”
For his part, Robante thanked his daughter for never neglecting her studies despite his absence. “Bisan less ang time ko sa ila, wala siya gapabaya sa pagtu-on (Even though I don’t have much time for them, she never neglected her studies,” he said.
This school year, Unah will move on to senior high school at Hua Siong College of Iloilo that offered her both academic and sports scholarships. For college, she hopes to return to WVSU to take up nursing.
But before the next chapter begins, she will have this story to keep: the night she messaged an Army general, the morning her father came home, and the recognition day that became, above all, a family reunion.
