It was during the academic year 1965-66' when I first met Victor Corpus. I was then a faculty member of the Philippine Military academy, newly arrived from the Australian National University where I finished my post-graduate studies in Political Science, and was assigned to teach several subjects in the social sciences. Cadet Victor Corpus, a member of Class 1967, was then a "Cow" (cadet slang for a third year cadet) and was one of my students. i also taught members of Class '67 during their senior year.

Siya'y isang matalino at matiyagang estudyante at napansin kong napakaintersesado niya sa suluranin ng lipunan. Instead of the usual lecture method of teaching, I developed the discussion method in our lessons and I was glad I did that because I noticed a great degree of participation among the members of the class whenever we discuss the social problems of our country. Natuto rin silang magisip at maganalisang pansarili, hindi kagaya ng dating lecture style na minemorya lamang ang lectures ng propesor pag dating ng pagsulit upang makakuha ng mataas na grado. They became not only intellectually alive and curious but also highly motivated in studying the ills of society. I remember Victor Corpus, particularly, who would visit me in my office and would continue the discussion where we left off. He would also borrow some of the books from my private library since the PMA Library then was more of a "Reading Room", stocked with old recreational magazines and books (mostly fiction), donated by the US Air Force Recreational Center at Camp John Hay Base in Baguio.
Si Victor Corpus ay napaka-relihyoso, palibhasa'y naggalling siya sa isang private catholic university (De La Salle Univ. High School) at napaglamanko na bago pumunta sa PMA ay may balak siyang maging Jesuita.

Sa aking palagay ng kanyang "religious impulse" at ang kanyang malalim na interes sa suliranin ng ating bansa ay nagresulta sa isang highly developed social conscience.

Hindi nagtagal, si Victor Corpus at ang ilan sa kanyang mga kaklase ay nagtayo ng isang "Club". Instead of the usual hobby clubs, gaya ng Radio Club, Chess Club, Judo Club, at iba pa, na ineencourage nang PMA bilang isang extra-curricular activity, ang itinayo ng grupo ni Corpus as isang Social Studies Club. Ako ang hinirang nilang adviser ng Club na ito. Sila'y namili ng mga aklat sa Maynila (sa Popular Book Store karamihan) --- mga aklat na wala sa PMA Library, mga aklat ni Renato Constantino, Amado Hernandez, Claro M. Recto, Jose Rizal, Apolonario Mabini, at iba pang makabayang manulat. Itong mga makabayang aklat na ito ay ang kanilang pinagaralan at ang puno ng kanilang mga discussion. (Nuong magtapos si Victor Corpus at kanyang mga kaklase, ibinigay nila bilang donasyon ang mga aklat na kanilang naipon sa PMA Library).
Panahon nuon ng student activism at ang kanilang protesta sa malawak na corruption sa ating lipunan at gobyerno, sa mga walang awang pagsasamantala ng mga landlords sa kanilang tenants, protesta sa walang hintong pagyaman ng mayayaman habang ang mga mahirap ay lalong naghihirap, protesta laban sa mga pulitikong gumagamit sa AFP, PC at mga private armies sa halalan, at iba pang katiwaliang nangyayari sa lipunan na lalong nappapahirap sa mga mamamayan. There were also protests against joblessness, lack of health care and housing for the poor, and the suppression of the protest movement by the police, the military and the private armies of the rich. Napaglaman ko na si Victor Corpus at Ilan niyang mga kasama ay nakikipagugnay sa mga aktibista sa UP at iba pang pamantasan sa Maynila sa mga protestang ito.
Gumradweyt ang klase in Victor Corpus noong March 19, 1967 at isa siya sa pitong "outstanding cadet-awardees". Siya ang naging recipient ng Athletic Saber Award (Mayor of Baguio Saber) dahil sa kahusayan sa sports athletics.
Dahil marahil sa pagmumulat ko ng mga mata at kaisipan ng aking mga estuyante sa PMA tungkol sa problema ng lipunan, hindi nagtagal at ako'y nakaramdam din ng panggigipit galing sa mga nakakataas sa akin sa PMA at Camp Aguinaldo. Pinagusapan namin ng aking yumaong maybahay na marahil ay hindi na ako makatagal pa sa military. Hindi nagtagal ay tinanggap ko ang alok na magturo sa UP at sa Ateneo at iniwanan ko ang pagtuturo sa PMA bago matapos ang 1967.
Nuong nagtuturo na ako sa UP at Ateneo, si Victor Corpus at ilan sa kanyang mga kasama ay tuloy ang pagbibisita sa bahay na aming tinutuluyan sa Project 4. Hanggang nuong lumipat kami sa aming bahay sa Marikina, si Corpus (at ang kanyang nobyang si Mely na naging Mrs. Corpus) ay patuloy ang pagbibisita. Siya nuon ay nasa Special Forces at na-assign sa PC. Natatandaan kong kinuwento niya na bago sila magkakilala, nasa magkabilang panig sila kung may student demonstration. "Pag may order sa aming buwagin ang student demonstrasyon, hindi ko akalaing si Mely na isa sa mga student demonstrators na pinapabatuta sa amin ng aming pinuno sa PC ay magiging future Mrs. Corpus", pabiro niyang pagkwento.

Sa aking pakiramdam, hindi nabawasan ang pagkamakabayan ni Victor Corpus. Kinuwento niya ang kanyang pagkadestino sa Ilocos Sur, ang bayan ng mga Crisologo. "Nakakaawa ang mga maliliit at mahihirap na kababayan natin sa Ilocos", ang palaging daing niya sa akin. SIla'y ginagawang parang lauran lang ng mga mayayamang pulitiko. "Life is so cheap in Ilocos Sur, especially during election time when the rival warlords have a heated confrontation because the ususal casualties, the dead and wounded are usually the poor followers. And these warlords want to use us--we in the PC---to execute their evil plans. The sad part of it is that our higher ups in the PC are in cahoots with the politician.
I still remember when Corpus narrated to me that when Floro Crisologo lost in a barrio during an election in his Congressional District, his son ordered the burning of the whole barrrio. Victor Corpus, then a Lieutenant in the PC Special Forces, was so outraged by this criminal act of the Crisologos. He encouraged the people to find refuge elsewhere where they could be safe; he personally accompanied the barrio people and they ended up at the gymnasium of the Ateneo University in Quezon City.

I believe this incident, and a number of others, helped form his decision to join the rebels in the mountains. "I think I am with the wrong Armed Forces," he would often tell me. I must be with the real armed forces of the people, which he believed, at that time, was the New People's Army.
Victor Corpus stayed in the mountains and fought for his principles and convictions for more than five years. In 1976, he surrendered (through his classmates of PMA Class 1967), after what he considered a betrayal of his beliefs. He was imprisoned for ten years and was tried by a military court, with Ninoy Aquino. After the EDSA uprising in 1986, Corpus was granted amnesty by President Cory Aquino and was released from prison.

Siya'y binigyan uli ng tungkulin sa AFP ni Cory Aquino. In his different assignments in Mindanao, in Panay, and now as chief of Intelligence of the AFP, Corpus still manifests a consistent adherence to principles and strong passion for reform and social transformation of our country.
I strongly believe that Victor Corpus, basically, is an honest person. He has consistently shown that he has integrity, moral courage, and strong conviction. He may not have shown his loyalty to some persons even though they are his superiors (President Marcos, President Estrada) but he says he cannot be loyal to corrupt leaders who have violated the Constitution and the laws they have sworn to protect. I do now know that Victor Corpus loves our country and our people. Victor Corpus may have made some mistakes and errors in his fight against corruption in the military an in the goverment, but that does not automatically transform these shortcomings into the innocence of the wrong-doers.
"The struggle of (humanity) against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting."--Milan Kunders, Chech novelist.

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•AS OF 18 AUGUST 2001