Cagayan De Oro City—President Rodrigo Duterte arrived at the Loyola Chapel inside the Camp Evangelista Army Camp here past 6 p.m. Friday to pay his last respects to two soldiers who were killed in the line of duty and also to condole with their families.
The slain soldiers were identified as Cpl. Marzon Morales, and Pvt. Oshin Rosala, both of the 58th Infantry Battalion, based in Claveria, Misamis Oriental.
The soldiers were killed and four others were wounded in a running gunbattle with the communist New People’s Army in Sugbongcogon, Misamis Oriental last Monday.
President Duterte first talked to Aiza, the grieving wife of Morales, inside the Chapel where the President extended financial assistance and awarded a posthumous medal to the fallen soldier.
After talking with the widow, he proceeded to the coffin of Rosala and talked to the soldier’s mother. Rosala was still single.
The President also gave the posthumous medal to Rosala’s mother and extended to her financial assistance.
From the chapel, Duterte proceeded to the Army Station Hospital to confer the military wounded medal to four other soldiers identified as Private First Class Marquin Rother Variacion, Private First Class Vincent Nino L. Lopez, Private Regie Joy Duyan and Private Ramon B. Balibagon.
Three more wounded soldiers who were earlier confined in the Army hospital were also conferred the military wounded medals.
Military officials said that the wounded government troopers were already in stable condition.
The clashes came in the wake of the NPA attacks on a power plant site and a plantation last Saturday in Bukidnon.
A report from the 4th ID said about 15 NPA fighters entered the compound of the proposed site for the 10.6-megawatt Pulanai hydroelectric power plant Barangay Lumbayao in Valencia City, Bukidnon.
The military said the suspects confiscated the cellphones of workers, then fired several shots after planting a couple of improvised explosive device at the compound.
A team from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal from the 8th Infantry Battalion was sent to go after the rebels.
Last December, President Duterte visited the site for power plant’s groundbreaking rites. In his speech, Duterte pleaded with the NPA to spare the project from attacks.
The President said the Pulanai plant, owned and operated by Repower Energy Development Corp., is one of the power generation facilities seen to boost the economic activity in the area.
On the same day, another group of NPA rebels burned down two spray trucks owned by Davao Agricultural Ventures Corp. (Davco) in Barangay Merangiran, Quezon town, Bukidnon.
Police investigators said the motive for the torching of the Davco equipment could be due to the company’s refusal to pay what the NPA called as “revolutionary tax” but what authorities considered as mere extortion.