From guns to baking pans: Wounded hero soldiers find another lease in life
Sgt. Eric Ubalde of the Special Operations Command (Socom) of the Philippine Army is no stranger from wars and battles. He had fought during the Zamboanga siege, survived encounters in Jolo, Sulu and Lanao del Sur, and most recently, fought during the Marawi siege.
He had four gunshot wounds to remind him of these battles.
Ubalde may have survived Marawi last May but he didn’t leave the war-torn city unharmed. While clearing one of the abandoned houses, the Maute terrorists fired at the soldiers, hitting him in the face. That was the last time he got shot.
To date, three bullets remain inside his body. He is currently recovering inside Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.
“Di ko masyado magalaw may tumutusok. Ooperahan daw pag umangat na yung bala. Marami daw nerves na maapektuhan ’pag inopera,” Ubalde said.
(I cannot move it, it’s as if something stitches. They would operate it once the bullet raises. A lot of nerves will be affected once it undergoes surgery.)
Ubalde is thankful that he has survived another battle, and he is much more thankful that he found another lease in life. The sergeant has been chosen as one of the beneficiaries of the Noble Bakers’ Project of the Aboitiz Foundation, the corporate foundation of the Aboitiz Group, in partnership with the Socom Foundation, Inc. (SFI).
He, along with 59 other wounded soldiers underwent a comprehensive bakery management training program provided by Pilmico Foods Corporation, the food subsidiary of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc. They were taught how to cost and develop bakery products, bake bread, cakes, cookies, pizza dough, among others.
Apart from the training, the Aboitiz Foundation also donated heavy-duty baking equipment like oven, mixer and baking utensils to The Noble Baker’s Bakery inside Fort Magsaysay, which was built by the Socom.
The bakery is now operational with captured market which includes the soldiers and residents inside the military reservation and as well as the neighboring schools.
The proceeds of the bakery would go to the dependents of wounded soldiers like Ubalde, Socom Deputy Commander Col. Rey Aquino said.
“Yung proceeds dito mapupunta sa SFI, yung sa special operations foundation, yan po yung nagsu-support sa mga wounded personnel natin, habang nasa ospital sila yung kanilang mga kamag-anak na nagbabantay, meron tayong pang-sustain doon,” he said.
(The proceeds would go to the SFI, the special operations foundation, that’s the organization that supports our wounded personnel. While they are in the hospital, they are with their family members who will attend to them, so we can also provide for them.)
Now, Ubalde finds great joy in helping his fellow wounded soldiers not with the use of guns or bullets but rather with the use of baking pans and rolling pins.
Original articles: Inquirer.net
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Sgt. Ubalde’s experience illustrate about the purpose and design of the Noble Bakers program?
Ubalde’s story — a soldier still carrying three bullets inside his body finding joy and purpose in baking bread for his fellow wounded colleagues — captures the fundamental intent of the Noble Bakers program: not merely to provide income but to restore a sense of service, usefulness, and contribution to men whose military careers have been altered by injury. His statement that it feels good to be able to help other wounded-in-action soldiers — even from behind a bakery counter — reflects the program’s deepest design principle: that purpose and dignity are as essential to rehabilitation as financial support.
Who is Sgt. Eric Ubalde and what is his story?
Sgt. Eric Ubalde of the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) of the Philippine Army is a combat veteran who fought in multiple Philippine military engagements — including the Zamboanga siege, encounters in Jolo and Lanao del Sur, and the Marawi siege. He sustained four gunshot wounds across these engagements, with three bullets still inside his body at the time of this report. During the Marawi siege, he was shot in the face while clearing an abandoned house. He was recovering inside Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija when he was selected as a Noble Bakers beneficiary.
What training did wounded soldiers receive through the Noble Bakers program?
Sgt. Ubalde, along with 59 other wounded soldiers, underwent comprehensive Bakery Management training provided by Pilmico Foods Corporation. The training covered how to cost and develop bakery products, as well as hands-on baking of bread, cakes, cookies, pizza dough, and other products. Aboitiz Foundation also donated heavy-duty baking equipment — including ovens, mixers, and baking utensils — to the Noble Baker’s Bakery inside Fort Magsaysay, which was constructed by SOCOM specifically to house the program’s operational bakery.
How does the Noble Bakers bakery support the financial welfare of wounded soldiers and their families?
SOCOM Deputy Commander Col. Rey Aquino explained that the bakery’s proceeds go to the Socom Foundation Inc. (SFI), which supports wounded personnel and their family members during hospitalization. While soldiers are recovering, their relatives who attend to them at the hospital receive financial support from the SFI — funded in part by the bakery’s revenues. This structure means that every loaf of bread sold by the Noble Bakers directly contributes to the welfare of wounded soldiers’ dependents.
What is the significance of the bakery’s captive market inside Fort Magsaysay?
The Noble Bakers bakery serves soldiers and residents inside the Fort Magsaysay military reservation, as well as neighboring schools. This captive institutional market provides a stable, reliable customer base that significantly reduces the business risk typically faced by newly established bakeries. Unlike a commercial bakery that must develop its customer base from scratch, the Noble Bakers entered the market with a defined group of ready customers — an advantage that makes the business more immediately viable and financially sustaining.
