20 soldiers awarded; 5 promoted for AFP ops in Lanao Sur

Twenty soldiers were given medals and five troops from a special unit were given a meritorious promotion for the military’s weeklong operations in Lanao del Sur. AFP chief Gen. Hernando Iriberri visited the soldiers at the 103rd Brigade headquarters in Marawi./ AFP PAO

TWENTY Army soldiers and officers were recognized and five combatants from a special unit were promoted to the next higher rank on Monday for their role in the weeklong operations in Butig, Lanao del Sur.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Hernando Iriberri and Army chief Lt. Gen. Eduardo Año awarded the officers and enlisted personnel with medals at the 103rd Brigade Headquarters in Marawi, Lanao del Sur. Five of the awardees were recipients of the Gold Cross Medal, the third highest medal for combat.

The recipients of the Gold Cross Medal were: Captain Baltazar Marcos; First Lieutenant Ariel Bulagao; Second Lieutenant Jesus Reyes; Sergeant Rogelo Abuan and Corporal Efren Manicad.

Meanwhile, 1Lt. Sydney Garcia, Technical Sergeant Leopoldo Albana Jr., Staff Sergeant Ronald Vino and Cpl Diamael Macapanton received the Silver Cross Medal.

Bronze Cross Medal recipients were: Captain Ricardo Nolasco, Tsf. Augusto Grande, Ssg. Renante Catalan, SSg Rolly Perez and Private First Class Benoch Larona.

Military Merit Medals were given to Ssg. Ferdinand Villavicencio, Sgt. Franky Lazaga, Sgt. Lew Mark Mendiola, Cpl. Antonio Balmores and Cpl. Rogelio Martin.

In the same ceremony, five of Army’s elite soldiers were given meritorious promotion for seizing high-powered firearms during the operations. Two soldiers were promoted to staff sergeant; two were advanced to the next higher rank as sergeant; one private first class was promoted to corporal.

Their identities and unit were withheld to the media for security reasons and not to compromise future missions.

Iriberri was in Marawi to visit the soldiers to recognize their sacrifices by handing out the awards, said AFP public affairs chief Col. Noel Detoyato.

He also reminded the soldiers that there would be no let-up in their security operations.

The weeklong campaign between the Philippine Army and Maute Terrorist Group in Butig, Lanao del Sur left six soldiers killed and one was beheaded. The military claims that 24 of the terrorists died from the battle.

The fighting also prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents, but lately they started going back to their homes after the assault. The Philippine flag was raised at the main camp of brothers Omar and Abdullah Maute, the terrorist leaders, as a symbol of turnover of control of the military to the local government.

The offensive has stopped but clearing operations continue, the military said.