Duterte pins medals on 63 wounded soldiers in CDO military hospital

Tanks arrive at a military camp in Iligan City to reinforce Government troops who are battling Muslim militants who laid siege in Marawi City for over a week now Wednesday, May 31, 2017. Fighting continues for the second week now between Government troops and Muslim militants with casualties on both sides and civilians. (Photo by BULLIT MARQUEZ / AP)

First published: 7:27 p.m., June 3, 2017

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – President Rodrigo Duterte visited on Saturday soldiers wounded during the Marawi City clashes at the military hospital here.

Duterte, who arrived at 6:20 p.m., pinned medals on the 63 wounded soldiers and gave each of them P100,000 and a Samsung J1 smartphone so they could call up his office for assistance.

He also handed each of them a .45-caliber pistol, saying: “Don’t let the enemy take this from you. Leave a single bullet in the chamber.”

Capt. Joe Patrick Martinez, spokesperson of the 4th Infantry Division, said the wounded personnel were brought to the camp hospital for treatment and came from various units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

He said the wounded soldiers were airlifted from Marawi.

“They began arriving on May 24th until June 2nd,” he added.

Martinez said the soldiers at the military hospital were being treated for minor wounds caused by gunshots and shrapnel.

Speaking to reporters in Cagayan de Oro, the President said he was saddened by the airstrike that killed 10 soldiers on Wednesday.

“It is a very sad commentary, but these things will happen again and again and again,” he said. “We are sorry that it happened, and I hope this will not be repeated. But there is no guarantee. In a war, everything is stretched and it can break any moment.”

He also said he would leave the investigation of the botched airstrike to the military. /atm