The bodies of 8 deceased soldiers from Sulu have arrived in Manila on Sunday.
The arrival of the bodies has been attended by Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) General Felimon Santos Jr., Philippine Army (PA) Chief Lieutenant General Gilbert Gapay and Philippine Air Force Chief Lieutenant General Allen Paredes.
The soldiers have been given military honors and are considered as heroes for sacrificing their lives for the safety of the country.
11 soldiers from the 21st Infantry Battalion have lost their lives on Friday in an encounter with members of the Abu Sayyaf Group.
The bodies of the 3 soldiers have been brought to their respective hometowns in Visayas and Mindanao while the remaining bodies of the 8 deceased soldiers are scheduled to be brought to their respective provinces on Sunday.
The Philippine Army has assured that their families will be taken care of.
“In honor of their sacrifice for the nation, we assure the bereaved families that we will take care of them and extend to them the necessary assistance that their families will need. On behalf of a grateful nation and a proud Army, we salute you.” PA Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay has stated.
Meanwhile, the AFP has honored the heroic act of the 14 soldiers wounded in the encounter.
Western Mindanao Command Chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana has personally visited the soldiers and gave them a Wounded Personnel Medal.
According to WestMinCom Chief Lt. Gen. Sobejana, they will continue the operations to weaken the hold of the ASG.
“In honor of our fallen heroes, we will continue with our deliberate operations to the identified lairs of the ASG to continuously debilitate their manpower and strength.”
In a pursuit operation, the grandchild of ASG leader Radullan Sahiron, Vikram, has been killed.
Vikram was involved in several bombing incidents in the Philippines such as the Jolo Cathedral Bombing where he was one of those who devised the EID. He was also present in the encounter in Sulu on Friday.
The military estimates that there are about 200 members of the ASG in Sulu.
Report from Bea Bernardo
