By Kyle Andree C. Bolhano & Sofia Nodado
While the entire campus is asleep at 2 a.m., Bryan Cadano, Laguna gate’s night shift security guard, fights his sleepiness while on the job. Laguna gate is the only gate open 24/7 that is near the dorms and residences of the university. And Cadano needs to stay awake in case something happens.
Night shift security is more than just a job. It’s a challenge that demands discipline, patience, and commitment to keeping the Silliman residences safe. Cadano explains, “Among mga buluhaton kay isigurado namo ang safety sa area, di mi magpasulod ug dili otorisado ug di mi magpagawas ug mga dormers.” [Our duty is to make sure that the area is safe, and not allowing unauthorized people getting in and dormers leaving.]
Florante Tik-ing, the guard stationed at Admin, shares that they have a routine that helps them stay awake. Guards rove around the campus every 10-15 minutes while another one stations at the gate. “Roving man ang among trabaho, sige dyud mi galakaw lakaw pod. Budlay mi madatnan ug duka.” [Our job is roving around, and we have to keep on walking during those times. It’s tiring and makes us feel very sleepy.]
Roving isn’t just walking around, these guards need to check buildings and make sure that nothing suspicious is happening. When there are no problems, they log that “everything is normal.”
For the guards at the station, they sometimes struggle with boredom. As they’re not allowed to use their phones, they have resorted to other means of keeping themselves awake. “Ug duk-on bitaw kadalasan ilakaw lakaw ra dire dapit sa guard house. Di pod mi dyud pwede mubiya sa guard house.” Cadano says. [If we get sleepy, sometimes we walk around near the guardhouse. We’re also not allowed to leave the guard house.]
Sometimes, dormers come back after their curfew. “Sirado na ang mga dorms mga alas dies,” [The dorms close at 10 PM] Cadano shares. “Manawag mi sa dorm, pabal-on nga naay naulahi nag uli.” [We call the dorm, to let them know that someone came home late.]
When the dormer isn’t allowed inside, the guards let them stay with them at the guard house. “…alangan pagawson balik wa na silay laing maadtuan. Sipte pod diri.” [We wouldn’t want them to go out again, they don’t have anywhere else to go. Besides, it’s safe here.]
These encounters with dormers and tenants aren’t the only things that guards have to watch out for. As the university is over a century old, countless supernatural encounters have been shared by students and alumni, and these usually happen at night. One may wonder if the guards have their own ghost stories from their night shifts. Cadano claims that they do and it can get scary sometimes. They can only laugh as these experiences are part of the job.
As the morning approaches, Cadano finishes his final rounds of roving, and students begin to wake up and come to school.
His night shift nears its end, with the campus safe and secure.
In the wee hours of the night, Bryan Cadano and his fellow night shift guards stand as the unsung guardians of Silliman University, keeping our university safe and secure.
