Vice President Leni Robredo’s office is extending assistance to to the 13 members of the Army’s 17th Scout Ranger Company who were injured in a vehicular accident while providing her security during a visit in Basilan on Wednesday, Jan. 26.
Robredo’s spokesman Barry Gutierrez said they are in “constant communication” with the mother unit of the injured troops.
“We are coordinating for any additional support and assistance that the soldiers may still need,” he said in a statement.
The soldiers suffered multiple injuries when one of the tires of their KM450 vehicle reportedly exploded that caused it to skid toward the road canal in Barangay Sengal, Lamitan City.
No one died from the vehicular accident.
Robredo was informed about the accident involving the Scout Rangers on Wednesday night upon her return to Manila.
“The Vice President immediately asked her ground team to monitor the condition of the soldiers. She is, of course, concerned because she knows the soldiers’ dedication and the sacrifices they make in carrying out their duties,” Gutierrez said.
The Vice President went to Barangay Buahan, a Yakan weaving community in Lamitan City, where she led the inauguration of the Angat Buhay Weaving Center.
Joining her in the event were the Yakan weavers and local government officials. The center was built for the Yakan weavers who used to weave in open spaces, enduring the heat.
The 17th Scout Ranger Company was part of the area security component for Robredo’s visit to Basilan.
For the past three days, Robredo was in Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and the Zamboanga Peninsula to visit and turnover the OVP’s Angat Buhay projects. She also turned over COVID-19 antigen test kits and COVID care packages to local governments and units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).