Soldiers hurt in clash with BIFF receive medals from Marcos

COTABATO CITY — President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. personally awarded the seven soldiers hurt in a deadly clash with local terrorists in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur last week. They were given merit medals and cash assistance.

One of the 12 terrorists killed by soldiers under units of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division in the hostilities then in Barangay Kitango in Datu Saudi Ampatuan was Kagui Karialan.

Karialan, whose real name is Mohiden Alimodin Animbang, was a top leader of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and was wanted for 47 high-profile criminal cases in different courts in Central Mindanao.

Marcos was assisted by 6th ID’s commander, Major Gen. Alex Rillera, in giving out citation medals to the wounded soldiers on Monday afternoon at one of the wards in Camp Siongco Hospital in Camp Siongco, Barangay Awang in Datu Odin Sinsuat town, Maguindanao del Norte.

Marcos thanked each of them for their gallantry and for having neutralized for good the dreaded BIFF leader, who was tagged in all deadly bombings since 2014 in cities and provinces under 6th ID’s jurisdiction and was notorious for fomenting hatred for non-Muslims.

Monday’s medal pinning event at Camp Siongco, where 6th ID’s headquarters is located, was preceded by the official engagements of Marcos at the headquarters of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and at the command post of the Philippine Navy’s 1st Marine Brigade in Parang and Barira towns in Maguindanao del Norte, respectively, and in Pikit, Cotabato.

Marcos was accompanied in his sorties on Monday in Central Mindanao by officials under his office, among them Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Carlito Galvez Jr., Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. and Special Presidential Assistant Antonio Ernesto Lagdameo.