CMaj Bautista’s roots can be traced back to his hometown in Bayambang, Pangasinan where he was born on 15 October 1980 to Police Inspector Raymundo Bautista Sr. and Agustina Bautista. From then on, he leads his life believing that his imperfection as a person would serve as the avenue for meeting new people and becoming a  better individual. Beginning his days in Bayambang National High School, he yearned to improve himself through constant interaction with his peers. On his fourth year, he served as Battalion Commander of his batch, carrying the burden of leading the Corps in CAT-I. Upon graduation, he entered UP with no notion whatsoever of becoming a cadet officer. Admittedly, he knew that ROTC meant more serious business as compared to CAT-I. However, the leader inside him took over, hence, he joined and finished COCC.

 

As a fourth class cadet, he served as the junior officer of the Rayadillo company during the first and second semester. Summer of that year, he was redesignated as acting Corps G2. When he was a third class cadet, he was given the following designations: Executive Officer, S3 and Commander of the Alfa Company, Rayadillo Battalion (redesignated after an increase in enrolment); COCC Tactical Officer, and Barracks Commander. As a second class cadet officer, he was given the staff position of the Corps G3, Corps Executive Officer and Rayadillo Battalion Commander during the first and early part of the second semester.. He was relieved of his duties as Rayadillo Battalion Commander and Barracks Commander on the latter part of the second semester. During this time, he also served as speaker in the SMART (Summer Military Advance ROTC Training) ’99, a program for Advance ROTC cadets held in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija. Currently, as first class cadet officer, he retained the position of Corps Executive Officer and was given the additional assignment of Corps G7, thus commanding the Civil Welfare Service (CWS) Unit. His present designations confine him inside the Corps office during training days, which explains the mystery behind his rare appearance on the field.

 

However, there is really nothing mysterious about his personality. Unknown to many, CMaj Bautista is now a fourth year BA Political Science student. What’s more, he’s actually very artistic and creative. He is frequently seen reading novels during his free time. If he is not doing that, he must be solemnly searching for the right words for his next poem. In reality, without the uniform, he is just like each and everyone of us, a student trying to earn a degree he has chosen. The only difference is that he is one of the top guns of the UPM Corps of Cadets.

 

Asked about the present Corps, he answered that the Corps continually upholds itself through the challenges that come its way. This, he said, is natural since the Corps has mastered facing rallying times. Regarding MS 11 cadets, he thinks they are already coping with the expectations of their commanding officers. He even says that there are privates who seem to be more skilled than some MS 21 cadets. In fairness, he views the MS 21 cadets’ performance as improving in a steady rate. He believes that they are becoming more functional and their military skills more advanced every training day. In another light, he says that the Corps intends to proceed with its scheduled planof activities despite the budget cuts of UP. He admits that financial support from the UP administration has been crippled but he would like to think that this is a test on the self-sufficiency of the Corps. According to him, what is more important is the moral support the University continues to give to the Corps.

 

In light of the continuous negative publicity generated by the Manila Collegian on UPM ROTC, he shares the sentiment of CLtCol Rotairo. He says that it is the business of the press to constantly update people about the events that are happening around them. However, CMaj Bautista stresses that these journalists should be responsible enough to stand by their reports.

 

On a final note, he advises cadets to get a feel of ROTC. He tells them to make their stay in ROTC most enjoyable without compromising efficiency and competency as cadets.