Updated @ 7:27 a.m., Dec. 9, 2018
ZAMBOANGA CITY — A soldier killed in a battle with the Abu Sayyaf in Patikul Sulu at 5:38 p.m. Friday, Dec. 7, was ferried on Saturday to this city, before being flown back to his hometown of San Agustin in Isabela.
Cpl. Herald Thomas Marayag was part of the augmentation team of the 21st Infantry Battalion that engage 20 Abu Sayyaf bandits in a 30-minute firefight in Barangay Bungkaong, Patikul town on Friday, according to Maj. Jefferson Somera, spokesperson of the 5th Infantry Division.
Marayag suffered a head wound and was taken to the Kuta Heneral Teodulfo Bautista, where he was declared dead on arrival.
His remains were ferried by troops to Zamboanga City at 8:20 p.m. Saturday, when Catholic communities celebrated the feast of the Mary Immaculate Concepcion.
“Today, we lost not only a soldier but also a brother in arms whose valiant act we shall always remember,” Lt. Gen. Arnel dela Vega, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, said as he joined the grieving families in mourning.
He said Marayag had given the ultimate sacrifice for peace to thrive in Sulu.
Troops of the 21st Infantry Battalion had engaged about 30 Abu Sayyaf members under Almujer Yadah, resulting in the seizure of an M14 rifle, three magazines, and a bandolier left by the fleeing bandits. –With a report from Villamor Visaya Jr.