TACLOBAN CITY — The Philippine Army on Wednesday honored a soldier wounded in a recent gun battle with communist rebels in Northern Samar.
Commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, Maj. Gen. Raul Farnacio, pinned the Wounded Personnel Medal on Cpl. Artemio Bendo Jr. at the Camp Lukban Station Hospital. Bendo and other soldiers of the 43rd Infantry Battalion were in Sumoroy village in Lope de Vega, Northern Samar on Jan. 14 for a humanitarian mission when they encountered a group of rebels.
“This award is a manifestation of the degree of sacrifice that a soldier has to pay in order for our fellow Filipinos to continue to live in peace. It is just fitting to commend personnel, such as Corporal Bendo, who risked his life in helping and protecting the less fortunate in the far-flung areas,” Farnacio said in a statement sent to media on Wednesday.
This is the second clash between soldiers and members of the New People’s Army (NPA) since the end of the holiday truce on January 2.
The first encounter was on Jan. 3 when two rebels were killed in upland Hilapnitan village in Baybay City.
“The successful encounters of our government troops are the result of our effort to defeat the communist terrorists in support of President Duterte’s campaign against rebels who continue to extort money from communities and private businesses and employ atrocities against civilians,” Farnacio added. (PNA)