By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur– The Army soldiers of the 29th Infantry Battalion (29IB) together with the City Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict (CTF-ELCAC) of Butuan City facilitated the burial of the two slain New Peoples Army (NPA) rebels in Sitio Dugyaman, Barangay Anticala, Butuan City on June 21.
The troops extricated the cadavers from the encounter site and turned them over to the funeral homes until their final resting place.
The CTF-ELCAC is in full support and shouldered all the expenses from the funeral services and interment.
Two troops served as pallbearers during the burial of Roel Arellano Maglasang alias Do/Dali, Executive Commander of Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee/ Vice Commander, and his party wife Raylin Zubiri alias Apple, Finance Staff of Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee, and two more cadavers were already claimed by their respective families and traveled to their areas where they will be buried.
Their loved ones were grateful to the troops for retrieving their bodies and giving them the utmost respect.
In a press statement, the 29th IB quoted the mother of alias Do/Dali as saying : “Sir, kami nagpasalamat sa inyo mga kasundaluhan nga inyong gikuha ang patayng lawas nila ug nabalik gyud sa amoa bisan layo kaayo mi. Daghang salamat (Sir, we thank you soldiers for retrieving their dead bodies and returned to us even as we are far)
LtCol Cresencio C Gargar, Commanding Officer of 29IB, said: “Despite being an enemy of the state, we are saddened and grieved together with the family of the victims of NPAs wrong ideologies. We ensure that the integrity of the cadavers is well taken care of. We are calling to the remaining rebels who are out there to surrender peacefully and preserve their life. There is so much to enjoy outside your group. The government is here to support you if you ever change your mind, and will decide to surrender.”
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