BAND OF BROTHERS: Special Action Force troopers offer a wreath of flowers for their slain comrades during the SAF memorial day on Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City. Photo courtesy of SAF Public Information Office
Three Special Action Force (SAF) members—two of whom died fighting Maute terrorists in Marawi City and one perished during “Oplan Tokhang” operations—were honored during the SAF memorial day last Friday.
The traditional ringing of bells was offered to honor PO1 Moises Kimayong Jr. and PO3 Alexis Mangaldan, who both died at the height of the firefight in the besieged city of Marawi, and PO2 Tirso Mantalaba, who was shot during an anti-drug raid in Sulu.
The ceremony for the slain SAF troopers was held during the memorial honors at the SAF headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.
Kimayong was training with the Scout Rangers when the clashes in Marawi City erupted last May 23. Undergoing test mission, Kimayong’s ranger class was sent to augment government forces in Marawi.
But on July 25, Kimayong was fatally shot in the head and chest when his team encountered members of Maute terrorist group while advancing toward “building 572″ in the war-torn city.
Two days before Kimayong died, a SAF commando died in a firefight with the Maute members during a clearing operation in Barangay (village) Lilod Proper.
Snipers from the terror group shot and killed Mangaldan while other troopers from SAF’s First Special Action Battalion (1SAB) were wounded, namely Senior Insp. Renante Arambuyong, PO3 Jerwin Cenas, PO3 Dennis Declasin and PO2 Charlie Cheren.
As of June 30, about 82 have been killed in the government side, 39 civilians were killed by the enemy forces while 317 terrorists have died.
President Rodrigo Duterte placed the entire Mindanao under martial law due to the threats posed by the ISIS-backed terror group.
Currently, about 35 members of SAF have been wounded while two were killed in the Marawi clashes.
Meanwhile, Mantalaba was among the elite policemen who died conducting operations in the name of the Duterte administration’s drug war.
Mantalaba joined different companies from SAF who provided tactical support to operatives from Patikul municipal police station in a raid conducted against suspected drug trafficker Annudin Akiran Daharani in Sitio Bullo, Barangay Kaunayan in Patikul, Sulu.
Upon reaching the target area, Daharani fired upon the raiding troops wounding Mantalaba, a member of the 24th Special Action Company (24SAC), on his left chest. Mantalaba was rushed to the hospital for treatment but was declared dead on arrival.
Police seized several high powered firearms, ammunition and six pieces of sachet contained “shabu” (metamphetamine hydrochloride) from Daharani, who was also killed in the operation.
Families and loved ones of the slain troopers offered flowers to their beloved deceased in the ceremony attended by acting Interior Secretary Catalino Cuy, who was a former SAF director, and current SAF head Police Director Benjamin Lusad.
The Philippine National Police’s elite unit holds a yearly commemoration for SAF troopers who died in the line of duty. JPV