SAN Miguel Corp. on Thursday offered each of the families of the 165 soldiers and policemen who died to liberate Marawi City from terrorists P2 million that could be used as capital for a business start-up as a gesture to honor their ultimate sacrifice.
In announcing the P330-million livelihood assistance package in Camp Aguinaldo, SMC president and chief executive officer Ramon Ang expressed his gratitude to the military for “a job well done.”
“Because of your skill, dedication, patriotism and bravery, Marawi is free and our country is much safer,” Ang said during a ceremony with Armed Forces chief Gen. Eduardo Año hours before his retirement.
Año thanked Ang and said the gesture would go a long way toward helping the bereaved families of the fallen soldiers and policemen.
At least 158 soldiers and seven policemen were killed in five months of fighting against the IS-inspired terrorists under Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon and the Maute group led by Omar Maute.
“It is because of them and their stories that we want to become better people. We extend our sincere condolences to the families of our fallen heroes,” Ang said.
“This is perhaps the best way we can honor them, “ Ang added. “We cannot replace them nor can we repay them for their sacrifice but we can honor them and help fulfill their dream of better lives for their families.”
The Department of Labor and Employment, meanwhile, said the government has set aside P2.3 million for the soldiers who were killed or injured in the Marawi crisis through the Employee’s Compensation Commission.
“The awarded grant is available to all uniformed staff from January to September 2017,” said ECC executive director Stella Zipagan-Banawis.
The sum was broken down into P1.75 million for disability benefits and P640,000 for death benefits from the Government Service Insurance System.
Also, the United States played a “very important role” in defeating Islamic State (IS) supporters who occupied parts of a southern Philippine city for 5 months, the US ambassador in Manila said Thursday.
Ambassador Sung Kim highlighted American intelligence, urban warfare training, and drones as among the factors that helped end the conflict in Marawi city on Monday, which local authorities said claimed more than 1,100 lives.
“We did play a very important role in supporting the (Philippines’) efforts to retake Marawi,” Kim told reporters.
“We had P-3s (surveillance planes), Grey Eagles (drones) providing crucial intelligence information to the Armed Forces of the Philippines so that they would be able to carry out operations necessary to retake Marawi.”