Soldiers bring home 250 stranded university students in Lanao Sur

LANAO DEL SUR – Over 250 students stranded in their dormitories in Lanao del Sur province finally returned to their homes Friday after army soldiers provided vehicles and assisted the local government and university officials in bringing them to safely to 25 different towns here.

Photos released by the 82nd Infantry Battalion to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner show some of the stranded students and university and government officials before they are brought home by soldiers. 

1Lt. Charles Leiand Regala, a civil-military officer for the 82^nd Infantry Battalion, said the unit provided 5 trucks and security to two buses and four university vans also used to fetch the students at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City.

But Regala said there are still over 650 students still stranded in dormitories after the province imposed a strict enhanced community quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic on March 17. The province remains under quarantine.

“There are still 654 students residing outside Lanao del Sur waiting to be transported back to their respective residences,” he said.

Col. Jose Maria Cuerpo II, commander of the 103^rd Infantry Brigade, they are working closely with concerned offices and government agencies to hasten the return of other stranded students to their respective homes.

“We are working closely with different sectors here to ensure the safe return of the stranded students to their homes. Your Philippine Army in Lanao del Sur is always at your service. Let us unite in our actions and prayers as we fight Covid-19,” he said.

University and government officials and students, now reunited with their families, praised the soldiers for assisting them despite the dangers posed by lawless elements and the risks of contracting the deadly Covid-19 respiratory disease. (Mindanao Examiner)

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