Who would have thought that in a place surrounded by the dead, where silence reigns, there are a few living souls struggling to persevere, quietly voicing their desire to achieve their dreams?
A police officer, who was once a child living among the graves in Manila North Cemetery, proves that even in a place surrounded by death, a life fueled by hope and purpose can rise and flourish.
PCpl. Angelo “Yong” Borlongan, 31, a member of the Manila Police District (MPD) Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, was admired by many for his charisma and strong dedication to serving the community.
Raised and nurtured by gravediggers, Yong became widely recognized after his life story was featured in various interviews, which eventually spread on social media.
This exposure provided him with an opportunity to showcase the place where he grew up and that played a significant role in shaping who he is today.
Life’s challenges left Yong in the care of his grandparents at a young age after his mother went abroad to support them.
With his grandparents living in the cemetery, he learned to clean and paint tombs, just to earn a small amount of money that they could use to buy food.
Yong said life in the cemetery has always been a struggle, marked by the shame and bullying he endured during his elementary school years.
“Mahirap (dito) kase tirahan ng patay ‘to eh, pero sanayan lang po. Dati nabu-bully kami, hindi lang ako. Halos lahat ng mga taga-sementeryo nabu-bully ‘yan lalo na nung elementary days namin (lt’s tough living here since this is a place for the dead, but you will eventually adapt to it. We used to get bullied, not just me. Almost everyone living in the cemetery was bullied, especially during our elementary days),” he said.
“Nung elementary nahihiya ako pero nung tumatanda na ako, hindi na, lalung-lalo na nung naging college at naging pulis na ako (When I was in elementary school, I was embarrassed to live in the cemetery, but as I grew older, I no longer felt ashamed, especially when I became a college student and then a police officer),” he added.
As the harsh realities of life continued to challenge them, the idea of attending college was a distant dream for the little Yong.
His mind was solely focused on the goal of graduating from high school and then joining a group of gravediggers who had to wait patiently to earn money by digging graves at the cemetery.
“Wala talaga sa isip ko na mag-aaral ako ng college. Alam ko kasi pagtapos kong high school magtatrabaho na ako, sasama na ako sa kanila magtrabaho rito sa sementeryo (I never really thought I would go to college. I always believed that after finishing high school, I would start working and join them to work here at the cemetery),” he said.
Even when his mother returned to the Philippines and took him back from his grandparents, his mind was already made up—he would become a gravedigger.
But little did he know, the people he wanted to join as a gravedigger had bigger dreams for him.
Yong's mother, despite knowing how difficult their life was, urged him to attend college even though he did not want to and felt that graduating from high school was enough for him.
Yong's uncle, who is also a gravedigger, gave P1,000 he saved to his mother as additional support in finding a college for him.
In the end, Yong's mother was able to convince him to enroll in college. But Yong did not know what course he would take.
“Sige mag se-seaman na lang ako kasi may nakita akong nag-se-seaman sa likod namin (I’ll just take maritime education so I could become a seaman like our neighbor),” he said.
They walked through Manila to search for a school that would accept him with just P2,000 in their pocket as an enrollment fee.
“Pero hindi ako nakapag-enroll kasi hindi kami tinanggap kasi 'yung pera namin P2,000 lang, hindi raw p’wede ‘yun (But I couldn't enroll because I wasn't accepted since we only had P2,000. They said that wasn't enough),” he said.
At that moment, Yong had already accepted that he would never be able to attend college. So, he convinced his mother that he would just apply as a service crew member at a fast food restaurant.
However, his mother, determined to provide him with a better future, did not give up on searching for school.
At last, they found an affordable college for Yong. Though it did not offer his first-choice course, he ended up choosing criminology, unaware that this option would open the door to a brighter future.
But even though he managed to attend college, things were still far from easy for Yong.
It took him longer to graduate after facing multiple failures, but despite that, he worked hard and managed to complete his studies at the age of 21.
To continue what he had started, he decided to take the board exam. To make that possible, Yong had to work while reviewing to support himself.
All the sacrifices made by him and his family finally paid off when he officially became a police officer at the age of 23.
“Laking tuwa ko na naging pulis na ako. Tuwang tuwa rin 'yung mga nagpaaral sa akin dito kase 'yung pera iniipon lang nila tapos binabayad sa matrikula ko eh (I am very happy to be a police officer. Those who supported my education are also overjoyed because they saved to pay my tuition),” Yong said.
However, Yong's ambitions did not end with being a police officer. He furthered his studies and training that molded him to become a member of the MPD-SWAT.
“Sabi nga nila, ‘hindi lang basta PNP ‘to si Yong eh, SWAT pa.’ Sabi ko hindi po, wala po ‘yun, ginaganon ko lang kumbaga para ma-inspire din 'yung mga tao rito lalo na 'yung mga bata rito (sementeryo) na hindi lang tayo pwede rito, kailangan doon tayo sa pinakamataas mangarap (They say, 'Yong is not just a PNP officer; he’s also part of SWAT.' I say, 'No, it’s just small things.' I do this to inspire the people here, especially the children in the cemetery, to show that we can’t just stay here, that we must dream big),” he stated.
“Nung naging pulis ako mas naipakita ko sa ibang tao na dito ako nakatira at mas lalo akong nagkaroon ng mas magandang layunin na ipakita na sa lugar namin, kayang tuparin 'yung mga pangarap kahit na dito nakatira sa sementeryo (When I became a police officer, I was able to show others that I live here, and I gained a clearer purpose to prove that even living in the cemetery, we can still achieve our dreams),” he added.
Yong made his relatives proudest. They never thought that the child who grew up in the cemetery and survived on small earnings is now a police officer who inspires and gives back to others, especially to kids like him living in the cemetery.
“Proud kami sa bata na ‘yan. Sa lahat ng bagay, problema, birthdays, Pasko nandito po siya sa amin kahit na hindi na po siya taga sementeryo. Hindi siya nakakalimot na pumunta rito (We are proud of that child. In everything—problems, birthdays, Christmas... he joined us here even though he no longer lives in the cemetery. He never forgets to visit us),” Yong's aunt said.
“Nagpapasalamat kami sa Panginoon dahil 'yung tinatrabaho namin ay nakita na 'yung kinahinatnan. Kung ano 'yung ma-iproduce namin (bilang sepulturero), kumita kami ng kaunti, iipunin namin para makatulong sa pag-aaral niya (We are grateful to the Lord because our hard work has paid off. Whatever we earn from our jobs as gravediggers, we saved it to help in support of his education),” his cousin Bunso said.
“Kaya lagi rin namin sinasabi sa mga bata rito na ‘ayan na si kuya Yong n’yo’ kase lagi niyang sinasabi na hindi hadlang ang kahirapan para tuparin 'yung mga pangarap. Hindi porket taga-sementeryo tayo… kailangan meron tayong pangarap para sa atin at sa magiging pamilya natin (That's why we often tell the children here, 'Look at your kuya Yong,' because he always says that poverty should not prevent us from achieving our dreams. Just because we live in the cemetery doesn't mean we should settle here. We need to have aspirations for ourselves and our future families),” Bunso added.
“Buong pamilya namin nagtulong-tulong para sa kaniya, kaya proud kami sa kaniya dahil may narating na siya. Salamat dahil hindi namin nakita 'yung kahirapan, naging masaya kami dahil nakita namin kung ano 'yung kinahinatnan ng ginagawa namin (Our entire family came together to support him, and we feel proud of his accomplishments. We are thankful that we didn’t let life challenges define us. Seeing the results of our efforts as gravediggers brings us happiness),” he explained.
Now, Yong stands as a devoted police officer in Manila, with unwavering commitment to serve his community. Inside the cemetery, he is a big brother to the kids living there.
He believes that regardless of the places these kids live, like him, they can also chase their dreams and transform them into reality.
Today, despite having a more comfortable home outside the cemetery, Yong often returns to that place, the very ground that witnessed his struggles that led him to fulfill the dreams he once thought were impossible.
His journey is a testament that hope, determination, and success can rise from the most unexpected places such as the cemetery.