A Medal of Valor recipient, Col. Cirilito Sobejana, has been
appointed to command the 601st Infantry Brigade, one of the military units
tasked to neutralize the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Sultan
Kudarat.
The Medal of Valor is the highest military decoration for
gallantry in the Philippines
equivalent to the US Medal of Honor and the United Kingdom
He replaced Col. Melquiades Feliciano, who is set to assume
a much higher post.
Capt. Joanne Petinglay, 6th Infantry Division public affairs
office chief, said turnover ceremonies took place at Tacurong City
The 601st Infantry Brigade is one of four brigades being
supervised by the 6th Infantry Division.
A Scout Ranger by specialization and training, Sobejana also
served as Army assistant chief-of-staff for operations.
Prior to that, he was the United Nations Disengagement Force
chief-of-staff that oversees peacekeeping operations in Golan
Heights .
Petinglay said majority of BIFF members operate in the area
of responsibility of the 601st Brigade.
From a high of 400 fighters, it is now reduced to 300
following recent military operations against them.
The BIFF is composed of former leaders and members of the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front which signed a peace accord with the government.
The former is blamed for a number of atrocities in Central Mindanao .
Sobejana vowed “to continue the best practices the brigade
has started, particularly the collaboration and cooperation with the stakeholders
in promoting peace, security, and development in Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat
provinces.”
He was awarded his Medal of Valor for bravery and gallantry
in action in connection with a fierce gun battle with at least 150 Abu Sayyaf
terrorists in Isabela
City
As a captain, he led a Scout Ranger Company in the two-hour
firefight that led to the death of 30 Abu Sayyaf men.
Sobejana sustained a gunshot wound that almost severed his
arm during the fighting.
“Though in pain and with a shattered rifle after it was hit
by an enemy fire, he never lost composure and continued leading his men. He
even maneuvered around, exposing himself to enemy fire to direct the
encounter,” his Medal of Valor citation read.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=840540
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