So Others May Live

It seems that a day never goes by without a birth of a story, for every story that is created day by day is engulfed with various emotions and hardships that a person could experience and connect with. Such is the reality for those who have suffered and fought throughout the campaign of war.

Decades have passed since the dawn of warfare struck the Pearl of the Orient. However, even after various events of conflagration, the people of the Philippines did not waver; if not, they stood against it. From the Spanish and American revolutions, the two great World Wars, our participation in both the forgotten Korean War and the Vietnam war, and eventually the rise of endemic terrorism in Mindanao, nobody has preconceived the prolonged desires of humans for war as it is today.

The Philippine government has pushed its military and law enforcement capability to its limits. As groups such as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) continue to inhibit chaos among citizens in populated areas.

Recently, a different threat has emerged. A threat that is a new breed of violence that doesn’t only terrorize - but seek to destroy and establish a dangerous ideology forged by hatred, inhumane resolve, and chaos in the only Islamic City in the Philippines: Marawi City.

Marawi, the heart of all Mindanaoan Provinces, with a population of more than 200,000 people. A city where almost 98% of the total population are Muslim, where people peacefully coexist with other people of different religions. For the most part, this was the reality of life in Marawi, until a failed attempt to eliminate a terrorist group leader, Isnilon Hapilon, occurred. He is believed to be the South-East Asian “Emir”, the commander, the leader of the ASG.

“I was informed by the Division Public Affairs Officer (DPAO) of the 1st Infantry Division, Philippine Army, Lt Col Jo-ar Herrera, about an encounter that happened in one of the villages in Marawi City. I then continuously monitored the situation and got updates from the 1st Infantry Division.” says Lt Col Ray C. Tiongson, the current Chief of the Philippine Army’s Public Affairs Office. He had been assigned to the position on April of this year, only a month before the events that led the military to have its full attention toward the city.

On May 23, unidentified personnel took over the Amai PakPak Medical Center, replacing the hoisted Philippine flag with a flag of the infamous Islamic State (IS). The flag of the same Islamic State that has terrorized and occupied cities in Europe and the Middle East. Later on, Chito Soganub, a Catholic priest was also captured by what we all know today as the Maute Group.

The group was led by two brothers, assembling fighters from all the different terrorists groups mentioned before - Isnilon Hapilon was one of them. The group The Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium says that the Maute Group pledged allegiance to the IS in 2015. With locals being alarmed by the unusual amount of gunfire, and social media flooding with posts of masked men creating chaos, the unprecedented events gained media mileage quickly. Soon enough President Rodrigo Duterte declared the suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus in Mindanao with a promise to resolve the insurgency, as several news agencies have reported.

As soon as the chaos started, troops were deployed by the Armed Forces. “Our ground commanders follow certain procedures before going to the battlefield.” Lt Col Tiongson states. Our uniformed personnel were ready. Though briefed, they would leave their homes with no idea on what these situations could bring, or if they would even make it back to their homes in the first place. Even in the midst of rigorous preparation and training, this touch of uncertainty dwells in the lives of our soldiers. Their stories would start here.

With encounters turning into full-blown firefights, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) says that most of the people of Marawi already evacuated in the midst of the tension between the government and the Maute group. Meanwhile, major bridges, such as the Mapandi Bridge, leading to strategic parts of the city have been captured and blocked off by the terrorists, placing bombs under cars abandoned on both ends.

A few days later, almost 80,000 people were displaced from their homes. This paved the way to the creation of the “Peace Corridor”, where civilians, humanitarian aid, and other groups have gathered to avoid being killed or captured by the terrorists. By June 5, a thousand were rescued by the mixed government and non-government forces. However, 500 people were still trapped due to the intensified tension in the so called Main Battle Area, the most terrifying place a person could be in during the Siege of Marawi.

The following day, elements of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 7 (MBLT7) recovered around ₱80 million in cash and checks from a Marawi home which was also used as a sniping position by the perpetrators. Cayamora and Farhana Maute, relatives of the now infamous Maute brothers, were then arrested and charged in different locations by the security forces.

An aggressive firefight between the Marines and the “home-grown terrorists”, as others may speak of, ravaged for 16 hours on June 6. The battle resulted in 13 Marines Killed in Action (KIA), while the rest of the 40 marines were injured. The men who perished were from MBLT7, the Marine Battalion that recovered the substantial amount of money only five days earlier, and only 10 days after their deployment to the city.

After a week has passed, the Siege of Marawi now seemed as if it wouldn’t end as quickly as most thought it would. With the city’s buildings and residential areas blown to smithereens, the scenery was reminiscent of the destruction left by the Battle of Manila in 1944.

The terrorists came out like ants after being stepped on inside their lair. Like ants, they will still bite anyone they come upon. Like ants, you will never know if they are still present on your garments or under your socks and shoes.

“...based on the report of our troops on the ground, the Daesh-inspired Maute group is different from what we have been confronting before due to the fact that they occupied a city and fight to their last breath, unlike the other threat groups who are hiding in the jungles and in the mountains.” says Lt Col Tiongson.

Independence Day. June 12. A day where the people of the Philippines enjoy a day off from school or work, a day spent with friends and family, a day spent for rest and respite, and sadly, a day with a meaning often overlooked. A holiday reserved for liberty from being enslaved by foreign commonalities, eventually being overwhelmed with stories of individual people, it is a day meant for the people beyond or behind the lines. In this case, for the people with their lives on the line down south of the country. As picture-perfect as it could have been, the story of the Marawi Siege did not end on Independence Day as it should have ended.

The National Emergency Operation Center (NEOC) reports that hundreds of thousands of people within Marawi have been displaced internally as the situation arises, with the 80,000 people mentioned before gaining in numbers more and more. Despite the efforts, the evacuation camps had poor sanitation, lack of food and fresh water, and the limitation of available medicine. As reported by ABS-CBN news, these have been a thorn to the foot for many evacuees and volunteers as the fight intensifies despite the foreign and domestic aid. However, despite material aid, some evacuees have perished in the evacuation centers, reports the Provincial Crisis Management Committee (PCMC).

These situations being one of the reasons why the President of the Philippines, the Commander- in-Chief, has been seen visiting Marawi numerous times, in order to boost the morale of the troops and the displaced in the area. These visits have been proven effective for most of the troops in the frontlines, though not all people were pleased.

The fighting continued on. Our troops soldiered on. June turned into July, July to August, August to September, time flew past for the most of us yet for those in the warzone it felt like eternity.

Stories of heroism emerged. Names such as those of Lt. Geraldo Alvarez, Lt. John Frederick Savellano, Captain Rommel Sandoval, Lt. Junrich Legada, Pfc. Ryan Bayot, and countless more became familiar because of their ultimate sacrifices – their lives.

The casualties on both sides continued to rise, but with the numbers slowly adding up one thing was evident: we were winning. With the recent efforts by a mix of Army and Marine elements, not to mention the aerial bombardments by the Air Force, one of the locations deemed by the military as the most strategic position occupied by the extremists, was then retaken – Marawi’s Grand Mosque. Being a building placed at the heart of Marawi City, it was occupied by the terrorists as a strategic sniping stronghold and an area to hold up the remaining civilian hostages.

With these gradual yet major achievements by the government forces, victory now seemed even nearer as another mosque, the Bato Ali, shared the same fate as the recapturing of the Grand Mosque. This mosque was also used as a strategic stronghold because of its location near the Lanao Lake, a great and elusive escape route, and its proximity to a market.

The ultimate objectives that have been sequestered from the evil hands of the terrorists were the bridges that connect the major thorough ways of the city. Placed with car bombs and awaiting enemies ready for an ambush only a few months earlier, the military recovered control over the bridges. The final push for the end of the war began.

With those in place, the Joint Armed Task Force of the government maximized their strength in numbers as the enemies grew weaker and smaller. The fighting intensified, the Main Battle Area reduced in size, the opponents were now outnumbered. As a result of the Armed Forces implementing their maximum capability to address the situation, the remaining top leaders of the Maute Group and ASG, Omar Maute and Isnilon Hapilon, were eliminated.

Within five months of gruesome battle, almost 920 enemies, 165 troops of the AFP and PNP, and 45 civilians have been killed to retake the city of Marawi. Aside from these heavy losses on both sides, a lot of people are still thunderstruck of the recent events. These violent events may have carved unforgettable memories, not just for themselves, but toward the people and environments around them. The experience they may have encountered may have been subtle in some aspects, but it will live on as long as they live with the hope that these events may be a lesson for future generations to come. On October 16, 2017 the Battle of Marawi has come to its end. Marawi is now liberated. The Marawi Siege was finally over.

“We have a lot of lessons from this Marawi rebellion. We never had experience in urban warfare. We have shortcomings in equipment and training but despite this, we were able to accomplish our mission and that includes the neutralization of the terrorist leaders and the rescue of the terrorist hostages.” Lt Col Tiongson says. After countless days, weeks, and even months have passed, the fighting has finally stopped.

Over a thousand people were killed on both sides because of friendly and enemy gunfire. That was the reality for those involved starting last May until only recently. The fight for Marawi is said to be the longest battle the Philippine Government has fought since World War Two, not to mention a battle fought on urban battlegrounds despite most of the military being focused on jungle and guerrilla warfare. The end of the battle for Marawi has taken a great toll on the Filipino people, the battle that was fought to forge a path towards the end of a tyrannical era because of terrorist control. The end of an era not just for the people of Marawi, but to those who survived the ordeal liberating the oppressed.

As the protectors of this nation, these people did not hesitate to help save lives of people that were on the line, even at the risk of their own. For threading on the line between death and life is part of their job, their life.

If you ask them what it is like to be on the frontlines, it is certain that some, if not all, will tell you that once you become part of their organization, consider yourself half dead - or face the fact that you may never come back. These intrepid “silent professionals”, as the Army Special Forces puts it fittingly, expedite on the struggles and horrors of the battlefield – enduring what could be unimaginable for most of the Filipino people.

When asked about how he would describe the heroism of our uniformed personnel, Lt Col Tiongson says: “I think this is the best time to become part of the military, to work and fight side by side with the courageous soldiers in defense of our country and people.”

It seems that a day never goes by without a birth of a story, and in this case, a story that developed for more than five months. A story that was created day by day, engulfed with various emotions and hardships that a person could experience and connect with. This story was not about highlighting the rights or wrongs of the higher-ups in the government, nor the monetary cost of all the structures reduced to ashes. This story, this recap of events, was about the reality of experiences and events of those who have suffered and fought throughout the campaign of war.

And with that said, they will be always here for the people that embody our nation. “Let us continue to work together in attaining just and lasting peace in our country.” Lt Col Tiongson says in a parting message. Others may live because they know; others know because they lived. With sacrifices greater than their own selves, with nationalism larger than all of us could ever have, and with a love for what and who they fight for only those who have experienced it could explain – so others may live.