President Rodrigo Duterte salutes in front of the coffin of one of 15 soldiers killed in the August 29 battle against Abu Sayyaf bandits in Sulu, as he visits the wake of the fallen troops at Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City, August 31, 2016. TV5 SCREENSHOT
President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday condoled with the families of 15 soldiers killed in the battle against Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits in Patikul, Sulu on August 29.
Duterte talked to each of the aggrieved family members and gave them financial assistance when he visited the wake of the slain soldiers who were each given full military honors at Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City.
Most of the family members were unconsolable. Some expressed deep anger at the Abu Sayyaf.
Duterte promised the families of the fallen soldiers that they will be enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and will receive financial assistance and rice every month.
The President also promised that he will shoulder the educational expenses of the children of the slain military men and instructed the Department of Interior and Local Government to find jobs for their widows.
In his speech, Duterte told the widows, “I am sorry that this has to happen. I do not want it to happen again.”
He appealed to the Abu Sayyaf bandits to not mutilate the bodies of the troops.
The coffins of the 15 dead soldiers were all sealed as they were almost unrecognizable, with some parts of their bodies missing.
The Commander-in-Chief also visited the wounded troops treated in hospitals in Zamboanga City and under the Western Mindanao Command.
Despite the casualties suffered by the government, the President said he sees no reason that will warrant the declaration of a state of emergency in Sulu.
"It's just a punitive police action by the security forces of the government. The magnitude of the trouble there does not warrant anything except the industry of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and the PNP (Philippine National Police),"
Duterte said Wednesday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport where he welcomed some 100 overseas Filipino workers who suffered layoffs in Saudi Arabia and were repatriated by the government.
WATCH THIS NEWS5 VIDEO REPORT BY KAYE IMSON:
[Video report]
http://interaksyon.com/article/131989/watch--duterte-visits-wake-of-15-soldiers-killed-by-asg-in-sulu
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.