23 soldiers, 4 cops get medals for gallantry

TWENTY-THREE soldiers and four police officers were awarded medals for gallantry in action during the Marawi crisis.

Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., chief of the military’s Western Mindanao Command, led the awarding of medals separately held at Camp Ranao in Marawi City, the capital of Lanao del Sur province.

Eighteen of the awardees are from the 2nd and 3rd Scout Ranger battalions and Joint Task Group Bakal. They were awarded with Gold Cross Medals on Saturday.

Five of the awardees, who received Gold Cross Medals on Sunday, are from the Army’s 10th Infantry Battalion and Joint Task Group Vector.

Gold Cross Medals were also awarded on the same day to Senior Insp. Seth Mark Alob and PO3 Isah Sangcad.

Galvez awarded Silver Cross Medals to Supt. Rolando Anduyan and Supt. Danilo Bacas for imminently meritorious and valuable achievement rendered while serving as Joint Task Group PNP (Philippine National Police) Commander and Assistant Commander, who led several accomplishments of the police during the Marawi crisis.

Command Plaques were awarded to the following: Brig. Gen. Corletoo Vinluan, Joint Task Force Vector commander; Senior Supt. Anduyan, Joint Task Group PNP commander; Brig. Gen. Budiongan, Joint Task Group Bakal; and, other battalion commanders for their sterling leadership while leading their troops during the battle.

Galvez said they were recognized for their conspicuous gallantry in action, courage, dedication, and commitment during the conduct of the close-quarter battle against more or less 1,000 members of the Maute-Abu Sayyaf Group-Islamic State of Iraq and Syria for almost five months in Marawi City.

The five-month stand-off yielded to the neutralization of 920 terrorists, rescue of 1,780 hostages, and recovery of more than 800 high-powered firearms and almost 2,000 unexploded ordnances, improvised explosive devices and booby traps of the terrorists. (pna)