Duterte visits troops in Sulu

SULU – President Rodrigo Duterte flew to Sulu province in southern Philippines and spoke with military commanders and soldiers, and Governor Sakur Tan, renewing his promise to  ferret out the truth in the killings of 4 soldiers by local policemen last month.

President Rodrigo and Senator Bong Go. (Robinson Niñal Jr.)

Tan welcomed Duterte, who arrived Monday with senior military and defense officials, including Senator Bong Go, and headed to the Camp General Teodulfo Bautista in the capital town of Jolo where he spoke to the troops.

Duterte said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been ordered to conduct immediate and impartial investigation on the incident.

“As your Commander-in-Chief and as President of the Republic of the Philippines, I assure you that I will see to it that the truth will come out be it in favor of the police or the military. Ang hinihingi ko lang ang totoong nangyari. So you can rest assured that justice will be done to the family at sa mga tao dito sa — ang mga tropa dito sa Jolo,” he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte and Gov. Sakur Tan, seated in front. (Senator Bong Go)

Duterte also expressed his condolences to the families of the slain soldiers, one of them a native of Sulu, and assured Tan that the truth will come out after the NBI completes its investigation.

“You know Sakur, alam ko na masakit rin sa iyo. Alam ko, hindi ko na sasagutin ng puso ko, alam ko na right or wrong, basta may isang Tausug na namatay dumudugo rin ang kasing-kasing mo kasi alam ko na ayaw mo, pero kapag may nangyari at namatay patay is patay. At alam ko as a Tausug, kahit papaano ay masakit sa iyo, alam ko yan kaya ang magarantiya ko sa iyo ang totoo lalabas at lababas in fairness to the Tausug policemen and to the soldiers who died.”

“Kaya lang wala tayong option, hindi natin pwedeng taguin hindi, pwedeng laruan ito kasi hindi maganda ang labas. We will have a more serious trouble if we play with the people’s lives, mga buhay ng sundalo so tangapin mo rin my condolences para sa nangyari,” he told Tan, who was the only government official, invited in the meeting with troops.

Duterte also witnessed the awarding of medals - the Order of Lapu-Lapu, Rank of Kampilan - on two soldiers Staff Sergeant Ramonito Diapolet and Corporal Maynard Cabote, who were wounded in a clash July 6 with pro-ISIS militant group Abu Sayyaf in Patikul town.

Western Mindanao Command chief, Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, and Major General Corleto Vinluan, commander of the 11th Infantry Division, conferred the award.  

Duterte praised the soldiers deployed in Sulu, one of 5 provinces under the troubled Muslim autonomous region, for their gallantry and dedication to their sworn duty, even in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

“To our brave soldiers who are with us today, I personally came here to thank you on behalf of the Filipino people for your undying service, especially during these trying times. As we fight the Covid-19 pandemic, lawless elements still take advantage of and ravage across our land, disrupting public order. Recently, it has been a difficult time for our men and women in uniform due to the escalating tensions between the military and the terrorist groups,” he said.

He told troops that the country’s progress has been hindered for decades by insurgency and terrorism and also thanked Tan for supporting the new anti-terror law. “That is why you have my utmost respect as you risk your lives in the name of peace, security, and development efforts in our region,” Duterte said.

Just early this month, Duterte also came to Zamboanga City where he spoke with military commanders and infantrymen in an effort to defuse brewing tension between policemen and soldiers in Sulu. Duterte appealed to the military to stay calm as he ordered an investigation into the June 29 killings.

The soldiers, all clad in civilian clothes, were driving a car on a covert mission to capture 2 suicide bombers, when policemen intercepted them in Jolo town and ordered the agents to come with them to the police headquarters so they can verify their identities. But policemen eventually shot the soldiers after they allegedly tried to flee, an allegation strongly denied by the military.

In that meeting, Duterte promised for an impartial investigation, assuring justice for the slain soldiers. “Pumunta ako dito hihingi ako ng tulong ninyo. I am pleading. Nakikiusap ako. Nihangyo ko ninyo na tabangan ko ninyo pagpakalma to keep the waters in the meantime calm and we wait for the result of the investigation. I am giving you my word of honor that the investigation will proceed to find out the truth unfettered, unbridled by anybody except ‘yung sa trabaho. Walang makialam at ‘yung totoo lang. Iyon ang maasahan ninyo. At kung sino man ang may kasalanan, then he has to pay for it.”

“What I’m saying is we’re trying to figure out how we can in the meantime do something to give you the assurance that justice will be done. So I’m giving it to you, I said, as a word of honor of a President na I will find out the truth from the investigators and I hope that it would satisfy all,” he told the military.

Duterte said he was saddened by the incident and started reminding soldiers all the benefits and increase in salaries he gave them and ensured the welfare of the police and the military has always been his top priority since becoming president in 2016. (Zamboanga Post)

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