LOCATORS
READY FOR TAKE-OFF By January Guia Caringal-Bawat
E
very goal starts with a dream, and every dream starts with inspiration. However, as people grow older, they come across obstacles, which may push them away from these goals. One such challenge is the ongoing pandemic, a monster of an obstacle that brought normal life to a halt. But in the midst of this crisis, a bunch of determined dreamers at the San Fernando Airport keep soaring high. It's never too late The San Fernando Airport has been dubbed as one of the best aviation hubs in Northern Luzon as it caters to a lot of flying schools, such as the Leading Edge International Aviation Academy Inc. (LEIAA) and Alpha Aviation Group (AAG)—both of which are locators of the Poro Point Management Corporation (PPMC). At LEIAA, a man named Macbeth Escorpian Yamagata is making his dreams come true—at the age of 40. Yamagata was a former Captain at the Philippine Air Force and a member of the Corps of Professors of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. His dream of becoming a pilot started when he was young: “My father was Japanese and we always traveled. We would always be in airports and airplanes. When I saw how busy the airports were and how beautiful the airplanes were, I’d feel happy. I enjoyed the feeling of being inside the plane. I used to go inside the cockpit and roam 18 Collective / Issue 13
the aisles, and since then I dreamt of becoming a pilot someday.” Born in Manila, Yamagata began his primary education at the La Salle Green Hills, Mandaluyong City, before his family transferred to Baguio City, where he enrolled at the Brent International School. However, life changed for his family when his father left them in 1995. “Things were hard after my father abandoned us,” he recalls. “But instead of losing my focus, I had to stand up for my family, especially since it was just me, my sister, and mother.” Admittedly a shy guy, Yagamata began working as a newspaper boy to help his mother provide for their family, while he was in school. He toiled hard to get good grades and earn scholarships all throughout his academic life. “While working, I got a university scholarship at the University of Baguio and studied there,” he says. “When I went to Saint Louis University as an Electrical and Computer Engineering student, I also got a full scholarship from the Department of Science
Macbeth Escorpian Yamagata