Matteo Guidicelli conquers his fear

LT Matteo Guidicelli, a proud reservist, shared his exhilarating experience of leaping from an Army plane. This daring act transformed his fears into triumph during his demanding training with the Philippine Army Reserve Force.

- ROBERT REQUINTINA

As Matteo soared through the sky, adrenaline surged through his veins, pushing him to confront and overcome his anxieties.

Each free fall became a powerful lesson in courage, reshaping his perspective and strengthening his resolve.

In an interview for the documentary "Philippine Defenders," which airs on GMA-7 on May 17, Matteo discussed his intense fear of heights. He feels very anxious around tall skyscrapers and buildings because they are so big. This fear makes him avoid them whenever possible.

"For the civilian training, I have made five jumps already. Sa military airborne naman, six times. Everytime na bumubukas yung door ng aircraft, kinakabahan talaga ako d'yan. This adds blood to my veins, and it keeps me alive. (For the civilian training, I have done five jumps already. In the military airborne, six times. Every time the aircraft's door opens, I get nervous)," Matteo said.

Matteo felt proud as he talked about his skydiving training. This experience helped him face and overcome his fear of heights.

"So when you jump, masasabi mo talaga na God is with you. It's a fantastic feeling that you cannot take for granted. Afraid ako sa heights noon. Hindi mo ako madadala sa matataas na building. However, I faced my fears when I completed the airborne training. (So when you jump, you can say that God is with you. It's a fantastic feeling that you cannot take for granted. I was afraid of heights before. You couldn't take me to tall buildings.)

"Yung airborne training mahirap talaga siya. Yung ranger training ko masasabi mo na wasak ako roon. Lahat kami pantay-pantay. We suffered all together. (The airborne training was tough. We suffered all together)," Matteo said.