CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) -- Vice President Sara Duterte visited the soldiers undergoing treatment at the Camp Evangelista Station Hospital (CESH) in Camp Evangelista, Patag, here on Feb. 22.

“Kung adunay ing-ani nga mga sundalo o pulis na wounded tungod sa ilahang operations ug pagmintinar sa kalinaw sa amoang lugar, ginabisita jud na namo kay dako kaayo og tabang ang ilahang trabaho sa amoang komunidad. Karon pud ang ilahang trabaho dako kaayo na og tabang sa atoang nasud ug kinahanglan na mapakita nato sa ilaha na we value their service to our country,” Duterte said.

[If we have soldiers or policemen who are wounded because of their operations and want to maintain peace in our area, we visit them because their work is a great help to our community. Now their work is a great help to our country, and we need to show them that we value their service to our country]

Duterte shared that even when she was mayor of Davao City, her office already had a good relationship with the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

It can be recalled that on Feb. 18, there was an encounter between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group (DI-MG) terrorists at Barangay Ramain, Munai, Lanao del Norte, which resulted in the deaths of six soldiers and the injuries of several others.

Prior to the arrival of the Vice President to CESH, she had visited the wake of one of the fallen soldiers at Lala, Lanao del Norte, and wounded soldiers at Adventist Hospital in Iligan City that were scheduled for operations.

In her capacity as the Secretary of Education, Duterte highlighted the collaborative efforts with the AFP to counter the insurgency in Mindanao. Her office is in regular coordination with field units, supporting activities such as anti-surgency and anti-recruitment programs aimed at informing and protecting the youth from falling victim to the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) recruitment plot.

The wounded soldiers as well as their families expressed their thanks to Duterte for taking time off to visit them and see their current status inside the hospital after the encounter incident. Cash assistance was also provided to the injured soldiers to aid in their recovery during confinement. (JAKA/PIA-10)