Capitol to honor slain Cebuano soldier

THE Cebu provincial government will pay tribute to slain Petty Officer Jose Audrey Bañares who died along with five others in an assault on Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels in Zamboanga City last Monday.

“I just knew about the death of our Cebuano soldier Bagares. We will find a way to honor him. I’ll have a discussion with the vice governor and the Provincial Board possibly through a resolution,” Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III said (see related stories on Islands Pages 6 and 7.)

The Provincial Board (PB) will hold their next regular session on Monday. Bañares is a resident of Lapu-Lapu City.

Maj. Gen. Roy Deveraturda, Central Command chief, cited Bagares’s heroism in the line of duty.

“Bawat buhay ay mahalaga. Nakakalungkot pero ang mahalaga ay naipamalas natin ang kanyang kabayanihan (Each life is precious. It’s sad but what’s important is that we saw his heroism),” Deveraturda said.

The Centcom deployed the 1st Scout Ranger Battalion from Negros Oriental to augment forces against the MNLF in Zamboanga City.

The 200 soldiers and 130 police personnel boarded a C130 plane en route to Zamboanga City last Tuesday afternoon, Deveraturda said.

Deveraturda also said Centcom was placed on blue alert which meant half of their personnel are accounted for recall and deployment.

Davide said additional police and military personnel were fielded to secure Cebu’s seaports and the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in the wake of the MNLF assault in Zamboanga City. Correspondents Peter L. Romanillos and Chito Aragon and Reporter Joy Cherry S. Quito