In 1878, Calbayog was hit by a cholera epidemic, killing almost one half of the total population. Fr. Sebastian Cordova was forced to leave to save himself from the disease, bringing Biktoy with him as his sacristan. In Manila, Biktoy was a working student, serving the convent without sacrificing his studies. One year after his graduation, Fr. Cordova recommended Biktoy work for the Spanish Army. He was trained and accepted as a corporal. After a year, he was promoted and commissioned to become the second lieutenant in the infantry battalion of the Spanish Army. His first deployment and jurisdiction as an officer was in the whole Visayan Region.