End of the Road

The Rangers’ ordeal in Marawi brings to mind a quote from author Leo Tolstoy: “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”

The troops were patient enough to inch their way into the kill zone. However, they didn’t want the battle to drag on either. Those of them who had experienced the September 2013 Zamboanga City Siege thought it had been bad enough to be engaged in urban warfare for two weeks and six days. To their dismay, it looked like the Battle of Marawi, which started on May 23, was going to last much longer. It was technically about to pass the two-week mark already.

For 2SRC’s Ranger "JB", who was born and raised in North Cotabato, the hardest task was to stay strong despite seeing his fellow soldiers hurt. “Masakit para sa akin ang makita sa kasamahan namin na nasusugatan. Ngunit kailangan ko magpakatatag para sa ibang mga kasamahan ko rin na patuloy nakikipaglaban para sa kaayusan ng Marawi at lalo sa mga tao na naghahangad ng kapayapaan at matahimik na Marawi,” he said. [It pained me to see my comrades get hurt. But I needed to steel my resolve for my other comrades who were fighting for the freedom of Marawi and most especially, for the people who wanted peace.”]

About a month before the Battle of Marawi ended, Ranger JB was injured in an IED blast. “Nung September 11, 2017, ako ay nasabugan ng IED. Natamaan ako ngunit hindi naman malala. Habang ako’y nakasakay sa chopper papuntang ospital ay naisip ko, ‘Ganito pala kahirap kapag nasusugatan.’ Ngunit kailangan kong magpakatatag para sa aking mga kasamahan, pamilya, at sa taong nagmamahal sa akin. Habang nasa ospital ako at nagpapagaling ay naisip ko ang aking mga kasamahan kung kumusta na kaya ang sitwasyon nila [On September 11, 2017, I was wounded due to an IED blast. I was hurt but not badly. While I was being flown on a chopper to the hospital I realized how hard it was to be wounded. But I needed to be strong for my comrades, family, and loved ones. I thought about my comrades and their situation in the battlefield while I was recovering in the hospital.]"

Much like Ranger JB, Ranger "RB", who hails from Sultan Kudarat, also got a dose of courage from his fellow Rangers. The private was a newbie in the battlefield. He trained to be a Scout Ranger in 2016. “Halo-halong emosyon ang naramdaman ko noong nalaman ko na ang unit na paparoonan ko ay ang 1st Scout Ranger Battalion na nasa Lanao del Sur. Sabi ko sa sarili ko handa na ako harapin ang buhay na paparoonan ko,” he said. [“I felt mixed emotions when I learned that I would be joining the 1st Scout Ranger Battalion in Lanao del Sur. I told myself that I was ready to face whatever lay ahead of me.”]

Ranger "RB" joined 1SRB on March 2017. This means he had just been with 1SRB for two months when they went to Marawi.

“Sa dami ng pagsubok na aming nadaanan at hinarap. Nagpapasalamat ako sa lahat ng kasamahan ko, lalo na sa Commanding Officer (CO) namin, na natapos ang misyon at isa ang battalion namin sa may pinakakaunting casualty sa loob ng main battle area,” he said. [With all the challenges that we confronted and overcame, I am grateful to my comrades, especially to our Commanding Officer (CO), because we were able to finish our mission, and was among the battalions with the least number of casualties in the main battle area.”]

The Battle Continues

Lt Gen Galvez called a news conference in Marawi.

At the gathering, which was held about a kilometer away from the MBA, Lt Gen Galvez disclosed the reason why the terrorists managed to resist the military for so long. “Even if the terrorists fight for two months, they will not starve here,” he said. 

Lt Gen Galvez went on to state that days before seizing the city of 200,000 people, the militants placed supplies in mosques and madrasas or Islamic religious schools. He added, “They also have underground tunnels and basements that even a 500-pounder (bomb) cannot destroy.”

He likewise confirmed there were ISIS fighters from Chechnya, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen in the mix.

The Reuters report also said that when asked when the Battle of Marawi would end, military officials were “more circumspect” and could not give a definite date.

Bounties

Meanwhile, AFP chief General Año announced that President Duterte was offering a ₱10-million bounty for Isnilon Hapilon and ₱5 million for each of the two Maute brothers. He added that the bounty on Hapilon was on top of the $5-million reward offered by the US government for him.

It may be recalled that in June 2002, Hapilon and four other Abu Sayyaf leaders – Khadaffy Janjalani, Hamsiraji Marusi Sali, Aldam Tilao, and Jainal Antel Sali, Jr. – were indicted in absentia by the US government for their role in various terrorist activities. Among these was the kidnapping of 17 Filipinos and three Americans from the Dos Palmas Resort in Palawan in 2001. One American, Guillermo Sobero, was beheaded. American missionary Martin Burnham and Filipino nurse Ediborah Yap subsequently perished during the attempt to free them.

In February 2006, Hapilon, Janjalani, and Sali were added to the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list. A $5-million reward was offered for information leading to their capture. Hapilon was the only one alive in 2017.

Over the years, there were speculations that Hapilon had died. These rumors ran rampant especially after he was wounded in an encounter with the military in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan.

Throughout the Battle of Marawi, there were also reports that Hapilon had already fled the city. Fortunately, this was not the case. The military finally got him in October 16, 2017 – by troops under Lt Col Montano Almodovar, commander of the 3rd Scout Ranger Battalion – as the Battle of Marawi drew to a close. Lt Col Almodovar, known to the troops as “Rambo-Six”, is a member of PMA “Bantay-Laya” Class of 1994 and Scout Ranger Class 121- 95.

  

--Chapter 14, NO MAN LEFT BEHIND (2018)