Cesar Jil, the two-year old son of Cpl. Reymund Paracuelles, is held by his sobbing mother, Ann Catherine (in black), so he can take a final look at the remains of his father prior to the fallen soldier’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on Saturday, June 17, 2017.
PHOTO MARIA CHOJEN APROVECHADO
Cebuano fallen soldier Reymund Paracuelles, one of the casualties in the Marawi City siege, was given a hero’s burial, befitting a soldier who died serving his country.
Paracuelles, a native of the southwestern Cebu town of Badian, was laid to rest at the Libingan ng mga Bayani at Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City last Saturday afternoon.
His younger sister Techie Carreon and the fallen soldier’s 39-year-old aunt Airen Aprovechado Castigador informed Cebu Daily News about his burial at the LMB.
“Matinahuron (bata) bisag nahimo na siyang military og naminyo,” this was how Castigador described Reymund.
(He was a courteous boy even he joined the military services and got married.)
His parents Cesar and Leticia together with his siblings Melissa, Melody, Techie and Jenevive were all present at Fort Bonifacio when he was laid to rest.
The Paracuelles family left for Taguig City when they learned that Reymund’s wife, Ann Catherine, decided to bury him at LMB and not in his hometown in Cebu.
Reymund, 30, left behind a two-year-old son, Cesar Jil, with Ann Catherine.
Reymund’s parents, Cesar and Leticia, worked before at a furniture company and sold fruits, respectively.
Castigador, who was unable to make it to the burial, told CDN by phone that they had made preparations to hold Reymund’s wake in Barangay Manduyong, and they were saddened that he was not brought home to Badian.
Castigador, who had helped take care of Reymund and his siblings while both their parents were busy earning a living, said she was disappointed that she was not able to see him for the last time but was consoled by her memories of his warmth, kindness and generosity.
She recalled that the first time Reymund brought home his wife, he introduced her (Castigador) as his “Tita Airen” who he and his siblings feared the most.
Castigador said she appreciated that Reymund acknowledged their kinship, even if she and his father are distant relations (third degree cousins), and appreciated her role in helping taking care for them growing up even if she was only nine years older than the fallen soldier.
That Reymund became a soldier came as no surprise since he came from a family of soldiers, said Castigador.
To recall, Cesar has said in previous interviews that Reymund would be fascinated with the armalite rifles carried by his soldier uncles and would often ask for toy guns when they visited malls.
Reymund, who was among the soldiers sent to quell the Maute terror group’s rampage in Marawi City, was killed last June 6, just hours after he had spoken on the phone with his father about how they had to carefully maneuver their way around the city because of the presence of Maute snipers.
The fallen soldier studied fisheries at Cebu Technological University (CTU) in its Moalboal Campus and graduated in 2007.
He was working as a supervisor of an Sbarro outlet in Cebu City when he decided to resign in 2012 to join the military service.
Reymund was assigned to Army’s Engineering Battalion in Fort Bonifacio when he was deployed to Marawi City as part of the military’s engineering support group.
Marawi City was Reymund’s first assignment to a war-stricken area.