Morale is high despite deaths of seven Marines in Sulu clash

From Malaya (May 28): Morale is high despite deaths of seven Marines in Sulu clash

 ARMED Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista yesterday said the morale of troops remains high despite the deaths of seven Marine soldiers in a firefight with Abu Sayyaf terrorists in the outskirts of Patikul, Sulu last Saturday.

Bautista visited the wake of the seven soldiers, led by 2Lt. Alfredo Lorin, shortly after they were accorded by the Philippine Marine Corps a hero’s welcome at its headquarters in Fort Bonifacio.

“This    incident   will not deter our soldiers from performing their mandate of protecting the people and the state, the security and sovereignty of the state and the national interest,” said Bautista.

The soldiers were on a tracking operation against a group of Abu Sayyaf men involved in recent kidnapping incidents in the province when the fighting broke out last Saturday morning in Tugas village in Patikul.

The one-hour fight resulted in the death of Lorin, a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 2011, and six of his men and wounding of nine other soldiers. The military said five Abu Sayyaf men died and some were wounded.

“This is what we have trained for as soldiers and this mandate, we will continue to perform regardless of the risks that we face as soldiers in doing that. That is all part of our training, of our conviction as members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” said Bautista.

Bautista said he has instructed AFP Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Rey Ardo and 2nd Marine Brigade chief Col. Jose Johriel Cenabre to continue with the pursuit operations against the perpetrators.

Bautista said the killing of the seven soldiers mirrors the “sad state of our problems” in Mindanao and in other parts of the country.

“That is why we continue with our pursuit of winning the peace to end armed struggle. Armed struggle is not the solution to our problems. Filipinos versus Filipinos, that is not the solution to our problems,” he said.

Bautista said the military is conducting an investigation on the circumstances of the encounter in line with their standard operating procedure.

“After an encounter, whether the outcome is positive or negative, we conduct inquiries for the lessons that we may learn out of these incidents,” he said.

The soldiers who figured in the clash include students of the Force Recon Class 18. Navy chief Vice Adm. Jose Luis Alano said the soldiers were on a route security as part of the operation against the Abu Sayyaf.

“They have already several experiences in the field already and this is part of their ongoing training to improve them in terms of going now into Force Reconnaissance,” he said.

Alano said an investigation team had been sent to Sulu “to look into the exact reasons behind the event and to make sure that we would be able to correct and improve our doctrines as far as how we conduct operations.”

Vice President Jejomar Binay also visited  the wake for the seven soldiers.
Binay is  a Marine reservist with the rank of colonel.

Binay assured the family of seven fatalities of government assistance.

 He  said he will look into housing assistance for the families, and additional assistance from the Alay sa Kawal Foundation which he chairs.

“Meron kasi kaming binibigay na P30,000 sa pamilya ng napatay, at meron din doon sa na-injure,” he said.

http://www.malaya.com.ph/index.php/news/nation/32086-morale-is-high-despite-deaths-of-seven-marines-in-sulu-clash