TACLOBAN City — Philippine National Police chief Gen. Dionardo Bernardo Carlos conferred on Sunday the “Medalya ng Sugatang Magiting” to four wounded personnel of the elite Special Action Force (SAF) who encountered suspected rebels in Gamay, Northern Samar on Saturday.
“Let us thank the Lord for keeping you alive. You rest well here and recover soonest. The fight is not over yet. We’ll do our best so justice will be served to you and those who have died,” Carlos personally told the wounded policemen in Tacloban.
The police general also extended P50,000 cash assistance to each of the four injured SAF commandos, namely Lt. Jay-ar Rimorin, Lt. Jayson Banganan, Pat. Ruben Ringor Jr, and Pssg. Cristobal Hen-Achan.
All their wounds were caused by shrapnel from improvised explosive devices (IEDs) detonated by the armed rebels, according to the information released by the Police Regional Office-Eastern Visayas.
Meanwhile, the clash also led to the death of two other SAF troopers.
They were identified as Pat. Franklin Marquez and Pat. Jimmy Caraggayan.
Carlos assured the assistance for the bereaved families of the fallen police officers.
Poverty-stricken Eastern Visayas, particularly the Samar Island, has remained a stronghold of the New People’s Army (NPA), which has been waging a Maoist-war since the 1960s.