THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has conferred Gold Cross Medal (GCM) to a junior officer and two enlisted men for gallantry in action against the Dawlah Islamiya-Maute Group (DI-MG) in Lanao del Sur.
General Andres Centino, AFP chief-of-staff, conferred the GCM to the three awardees during his visit Thursday, March 10, at the headquarters of the 103rd Infantry "Haribon" Brigade in Marawi City.
"I would not miss the chance to visit you as you have done a very significant achievement for the Armed Forces of the Philippines," Centino said.
"I commend Major General Gene Ponio and Brigadier General Jose Maria Cuerpo for leading the Haribon troopers to a very laudable performance in the recent operations," he added.
Second Lieutenant Kevin Camua, Sergeant Jonathan Lictawa, and Corporal Charlie Angcat received GCM medal for displaying gallantry during the intense firefight against the DI-MG that resulted in the neutralization of nine terrorists, destruction of 10 enemy structures, and the recovery of 45 firearms and other war materiel.
The camp of the DI-MG in Ilalag villag, Maguing, Lanao del Sur, fell into the hands of the government troops on March 1 following hours of firefight against 60 DI-MG terrorists. The firefight was preceded by an early morning airstrike.
Cuerpo, the 103rd Infantry Brigade commander, received Centino during the latter's visit to Camp Ranao, home of the brigade's headquarters in Marawi City.
Centino reminded the troops not to lose focus on the organization's goals and be relentless on the conduct of operations to defeat the local terrorist groups and minimize, if not eradicate, insurgency in Lanao del Sur and the whole of Mindanao before the President Rodrigo Duterte steps down. (SunStar Zamboanga)