Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), honored the sacrifice and courage of policemen, soldiers and even civilians in retaking Marawi City from the hands of the international terrorist-inspired Maute Group during the five-month intense fighting in 2017.
In a speech during the 4th Anniversary of the Liberation of Marawi City, Eleazar said the retaking and eventual rehabilitation of Marawi City would be founded on the blood and lives of more than 160 soldiers and policemen who lost their lives in defending Marawi.
“Today, as we remember that moment when Marawi City was declared free from months-long siege of our enemies, the more than 222,000 men and women of the Philippine National Police are with us in honoring those sacrifices,” Eleazar said.
More than 1,000 people died in the five-month intense fighting, including at least 160 soldiers and policemen and more than 47 civilians.
The once busy and economically-vibrant Marawi City was reduced into debris and damaged buildings and structures, with experts estimating that billions of pesos were lost as a result of the siege.
“Maraming buhay ang nawala, maraming kabuhayan ang nauwi sa wala at ang dating masigla at maunlad na lungsod ay naging bakas at mukha ng digmaan A lot of peopel died, and a lot of livelihood were lost and the once lively and prosperous city was turned into ruins of war),” Eleazar said.
“But that fierce battle did not only leave a trail of death and destruction to Marawi City but more significantly it has also left a trail of sacrifice and courage of our brothers who fought for liberty and peace of the entire nation,” he added.
Eleazar believed that there were many stories of heroism, sacrifice and courage that remain untold about how the government forces and the civilians tried to free the city from the hands of the rebels.
“Sacrifice and courage that transcend religious beliefs, sacrifice and courage that go beyond cultural borders, and sacrifice and courage that should always remind us that whatever our differences, we are all Filipinos under one flag and one Republic,” he said.
The PNP chief expressed confidence that Marawi City would bounce back and a new city will rise that is founded on the courage and service of the fallen and the surviving liberators, the unity of its people, and the cooperation of the entire nation.
President Rodrigo Duterte declared Marawi City liberated from terrorist influence on October 17, 2017. At present, the national government’s rehabilitation efforts for Marawi City is ongoing.