Fund drive launched for kin of slain Cordillera troops

BAGUIO CITY—The fund-raising “Binnadang,” which collected P2.5 million for the families of 14 policemen from the Cordillera slain in the 2015 Mamasapano massacre in Maguindanao province, was relaunched on Monday for soldiers and policemen who were killed in the military campaign to retake Marawi City from terrorists.

Binnadang is the Kankanaey term for cooperation, usually among neighbors who help each other in preparing rice fields.

Organized and managed over social media by a group of Cordillera professionals, the latest Binnadang fund drive was launched during the celebration here of the 20th anniversary of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (Republic Act No. 8371).

The fund drive is intended for the families of “Cordillera Warriors” Senior Insp. Freddie Manuel Solar of Baguio City; Army Cpl. Benito Serrano of Apayao province; Scout Ranger Pfc. Gener Tinangag and Special Action Force (SAF) member, PO2 Daniel Tegwa, of Mountain Province; Cpl. Nelson Lasang Wailan of Kalinga province; SAF member, PO3 Alexis Mangaldan, of Abra province; SAF member, PO1 Moises Kimayong Jr., and Scout Ranger Pfc. Jethro Estacio of Ifugao province.

Solar was one of the first police officers killed when Islamic State-inspired Maute group took Marawi on May 23.

Estacio and a team of soldiers were deployed to secure a group of people who offered to surrender a week before President Duterte declared that Marawi had been liberated on Oct. 17.

They went to a mosque—the designated meeting place—and found it silent, only to realize too late that they were lured into a trap. Estacio was shot in the head.

The Binnadang has drawn support from Cordillerans in other countries through social media. Donors may deposit any amount to the Cordilleran Binnadang account number 8123-0427-01 at the BPI Savings Bank’s Legarda Road (Baguio City) branch. The Swift Code is BOPIPHMM. —VINCENT CABREZA