Eighty-one soldiers from the 62nd and 79th Infantry Battalions under the 303rd Infantry Brigade received their Military Commendation medals for their exemplary performance of duties in combat operations.
Brigade Commander Brigadier General Benedict Arevalo, who recently took the oath before President Rodrigo Duterte as a newly promoted army general, led the pinning of medals to the soldiers in separate ceremonies.
“The medals I give to my soldiers are in recognition of their commitment to the service, and bravery in fighting the terrorist NPAs. As their Commander, I ensure that their morale is high. Because well-motivated and appreciated troops will perform more than what is expected,” Arevalo said in a statement.
These 81 soldiers, 38 of whom were from the 62nd IB and 43 were from the 79th IB, were involved in two successful encounters against the NPAs last month.
In May, the soldiers figured in two clashes with the New People’s Army in Sitio Dawhan, Brgy Buenavista, Himamaylan City, May 4 and Sitio Puting Tubig, Brgy Minautok, Calatrava town on May 15.
The Himamaylan clash, according to the 303rd Infantry Brigade release, resulted in five NPA casualties, apprehension of one minor NPA member and recovery of one anti-personnel mine, seven backpacks, personal belongings, and subversive documents.
Meanwhile, the Calatrava incident according to reports from residents caused five NPAs killed and the recovery of one magazine with eight ammunition for Garrand Carbine rifle, and other belongings.
To date since the assumption of Arevalo in October 2018 as the 303rd Infantry Brigade Commander, there were already 225 medals given to soldiers for the 12 successful encounters against the terrorist NPAs in the province. (By Easter Anne Doza)
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