GORDON COMMENDS SOLDIERS FIGHTING IN MARAWI CITY FOR THEIR BRAVERY

A visibly moved Senator Richard J. Gordon on Saturday commended the soldiers fighting in the ongoing battle in Marawi City for their bravery in engaging the Maute Group that attacked the city.

During the Special Joint Session on President Rodrigo Duterte's request to extend martial law in Mindanao by another five months, Gordon commended First Lieutenant Kent Fagyan, the 29 year-old commanding officer of one of the units, and all the soldiers fighting in the armed conflict.

"It must be hard to see fellow soldiers fall in battle. I just want to commend you and all the soldiers engaged in Marawi City for your bravery," said a choked up senator, who had to stop in the middle of a sentence to compose himself because he was moved by Fagyan's recounting of his Marawi experience.

Fagyan told the members of Congress how the soldiers have to manually knock down walls to get their targets, not knowing if there are improvised explosive devices awaiting them on the other side of the wall. He also told them how fortunate he and some of his men were that they were only wounded and not killed during one of their engagements with the Maute Group.

Gordon, who empathized with the soldier, pointed out that it must be very hard for Fagyan to do his duty to fight for peace in order to bring in much-needed progress to Mindanao knowing that he could be wounded, killed, see his fellow soldiers killed, or kill his fellow Filipinos.

"It must be very hard for you to see, you're a soldier, a leader of men, your soldiers fallen in battle...And it is equally hard for you, I'm sure, na lalabanan mo ang kapwa Pilipino na Marawi na naligaw siguro ng landas, napabayaan at nalulong sa masamang mga doktrina, na ngayon nagdudulot ng kahirapan sa daan-daang libong tao at nagbibigay ng dilim at lagim sa Mindanao. Tama ba yun?" he said.

The senator noted that while it may not be Fagyan's personal choice to engage the Maute Group, he would go back to the battlefield, wounds and all, because it is his duty.

"That is too hard to bear for a 29-year old lieutenant to fight and see your brothers fall dead or to fight and see your fellow Filipinos that you really don't want to fight with, die also. Hindi ka natutuwa, nahihirapan ka pero you will go back again to battle, despite your wound, because it is your duty. Ang ipinaglalaban natin ay hindi yung Pilipino laban sa Pilipino ngunit yung kapayapaan para madala na natin ang development sa bayan," he said.