Heroes’ welcome for Coast Guard members

HEROES’ WELCOME Members of the Philippine Coast Guard who patrolled and fought in Lanao Lake, Marawi City, are met by their respective families at the Coast Guard headquarters in Manila after a five-month deployment. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

Lieutenant Senior Grade Erwin Tolentino, one of more than 100 Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) personnel who arrived on Friday morning after five months of deployment in war-torn Marawi City, had kept his assignment from his pregnant wife, Glaiza.

“She thought that I was deployed to Iligan City, since I was aware of how sensitive her pregnancy was. I might be in for a quarrel later,” Tolentino said.

From his previous assignment in Cebu, he was sent to Marawi City when his wife was only two months pregnant in May.

It would be the couple’s second baby. Their eldest girl held up an orange banner with the words, “I’m here to pick up my hero.”

His wife was able to talk to him regularly on the phone even though he was away.

“He told me that he was being assigned to Iligan City, to patrol Lanao Lake and the Iligan port. I knew it was dangerous and I couldn’t help but worry,” Glaiza said.

PCG officer in charge Commodore Joel Garcia led the heroes’ welcome and awarding ceremony for the 125 returning heroes, which included the crew of the BRP Pampanga.

“They do not just patrol our coasts, but they patrolled Lanao Lake. Theirs is a big contribution to the success and victory of government troops,” Garcia said during the ceremony at the Manila South Harbor.

The PCG personnel were mostly assigned to its Special Operations Group and its Anti-Terrorism Unit, and spent days and nights patrolling the waters near Marawi City and Iligan City.

In particular, they were deployed to secure Lanao Lake and the port of Iligan to prevent terrorist forces from escaping, as well as from transporting supplies and logistics to the fighters.

“These terrorists had logistics supplies unparalleled in history, including the flow of ammunition coming from the other side of Lanao Lake,” Garcia said.

The PCG contingent was deployed in the last week of May, or days after the fighting broke out on May 23.

More than 40 enlisted PCG personnel were given spot promotions, while the PCG officers were feted with awards and medals.

Tolentino, 36, was also awarded for his service as part of the PCG’s Anti-Terrorism Unit.

Chief Petty Officer Eugene Anico could not help but wipe away his tears after his new rank was pinned on him.

The 40-year-old PCG enlisted personnel said he was happy that he was able to come home alive to his family.

“I’m really happy that we were able to come home without any unfortunate incident. We really missed our families,” he said.

He and his comrades were tasked to patrol Lanao Lake for 12 hours a day on a rubber boat.

Anico told the Inquirer that he figured in at least two firefights in which he and his comrades blocked terrorists trying to escape over the water.

The PCG personnel will be allowed to go on break for a few weeks to spend time with their families, after which they will be given a new assignment to patrol the country’s shores.

Following the Marawi City siege, the PCG will be reactivating its station in Lanao Lake not just to thwart terrorist threats, but to protect the marine environment there.

Garcia said they were planning to put up stations on the opposite shores of the lake to patrol its waters.

“We want to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future, so we will be building this as soon as possible and have designated PCG personnel to man it,” he said.

The PCG station will serve not only as a patrol force for peace and order, but will also conduct patrols to protect the marine environment and for the safety of navigation for those who travel across the lake.