CAMP AGUINALDO, Quezon City – Three seasoned warriors who fought local terrorists in Mindanao were presented as this year’s “The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers” (TOPS) in a ceremony held Monday, 14 August 2017 at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) General Headquarters Building.
“Our awardees are all battle-tested soldiers who are deployed in the most conflict-affected and challenging areas of our country. But more than being warriors, they have personified our AFP mandate of being genuine catalysts of peace, progress and development,” General Eduardo Año, AFP Chief of Staff said.
Lieutenant Colonel Elmer Suderio, Lieutenant Colonel Ricky Bunayog, and Staff Sergeant Narding Pascual will be honored during Metrobank’s 55th Anniversary in September. They will each receive P1 Million cash incentive, a gold medallion, and a trophy from the Metrobank Foundation, Inc.
The three awardees were chosen for rendering service beyond the call of duty, and for inspiring and influencing their comrades and the people in their respective communities. All three members of the Philippine Army were selected from around 40 nominations from the Army, Air Force, and Navy.
Lt. Col. Suderio is presently the Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, G3, of the 1st Infantry Division in Zamboanga Del Sur and concurrently as the Operations Officer of Joint Task Force Marawi.
Known as Basilan’s Soldier-Trailblazer, Lt. Col. Suderio formerly commanded the 3rd Scout Ranger Battalion in a series of armed operations against the Abu Sayyaf Group in Basilan from 2015 to 2017. These resulted in the neutralization of highly-wanted terrorists and capture of numerous enemy strongholds.
Lt. Col. Bunayog is the Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, G3, of the 6th Infantry Division based in Maguindanao. Dubbed as Central Mindanao’s Warrior-Peacekeeper, he facilitated hundreds of combat operations against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and other lawless armed groups. These operations resulted to the neutralization of high-value criminals and the recovery of various war materials and ammunitions.
SSg Pascual, hailed as CARAGA’s Lumad Hero, is currently deployed at the 26th Infantry Battalion of the 4th Infantry Division in San Nicolas, Agusan Del Sur. As a squad leader, he spearheaded a number of successful armed operations against the CNN (CPP-NPA-NDF) rebel units aimed to bring peace and order in the Banwaon Communities.
This year’s winners of the Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos were selected from a large pool of candidates from the military, police, and the academe. Other awardees are three members of the Philippine National Police and four civilians.
“The AFP expresses its gratitude to Metrobank Foundation Inc. headed by Mr. Aniceto Sobrepeña, and the Rotary Club of Makati-Metro led by Mr. Johnny Sy. We are always honored and grateful to have partners in advancement, especially through force motivation and capacity-building in the Armed Forces,” General Año said. (AFP-PAO-PR)
