ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Bong Go urges AFP to intensify operations vs terror groups; extends sympathies for fallen soldiers in Lanao del Norte

Bong Go urges AFP to intensify operations vs terror groups; extends sympathies for fallen soldiers in Lanao del Norte

Published Feb 23, 2024 06:42 am

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go has extended his deepest sympathies to the bereaved families of the military personnel that lost their lives in a deadly encounter between Philippine Army soldiers and members of the Islamic State (IS)-linked Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group (DI-MG) in Lanao del Norte. 

Go conveyed his condolences to the families after attending the celebrations of the 104th Founding Anniversary of Marinduque, highlighting the sacrifices made by the soldiers in the line of duty.

The incident happened last February 18. Six soldiers died in the armed conflict. They were part of the scout platoon of the 44th Infantry Battalion and were engaged in a military operation when they stumbled upon DI-MG militants in Barangay Ramain of Munai town.

Go urged the Philippine military to intensify its efforts to suppress terror groups that threaten the stability of the region. 

“Trabaho po ng ating law enforcers kasama ang military na sugpuin po itong terorismo lalo na kung may mapatunayan nga po na itong naiuulat na Maute Group ay nandidiyan pa rin sila sa Lanao del Norte (Our law enforcers work together with the military to suppress this terrorism especially if it can be proven that the reported Maute Group is still present in Lanao del Norte),” Go said.

“At alam n’yo, kapag terorista talaga, wala pong prinsipyong pinag-uusapan diyan, walang sinasanto ‘yan. Dapat po talaga sugpuin ang terorismo (And you know, when it's really a terrorist, there's no principle to talk about, there's no sanctification. Terrorism must be suppressed),” he added.

Likewise, Go urged the military leadership to address the allegation that the cash assistance for the decommissioning of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants are being halved.

The lawmaker reiterated that existing programs and incentives designed to facilitate the decommissioning process are key components to achieve peace between the government and rebel groups.

“Ako po’y nananawagan sa ating (I urge our) peace process secretary, Secretary (Carlito) Galvez, to validate and investigate together with the MILF Peace Implementing Panel and even the BARMM government,” he stated.

In a Senate hearing last February 20 attended by former MILF fighters, allegations surfaced that MILF commanders are taking cuts from the cash grants intended for rebel returnees. 

Former fighters have raised the allegations themselves, indicating a potential loss of funds given the report that only about 26,000 former combatants have surrendered so far.

“Nababahala tayo… kapag isinurender nila ang kanilang baril ay mayroon po silang matatanggap na cash grant… pero kung may alegasyon na may mga cut (We are concerned…once they surrender their firearms, they receive a cash grant… but if there are allegations that there were cuts), I find it not acceptable,” Go stressed.

“Ang cash grant na ‘yon ay para tulungan ang ating mga dating rebelde. Pwedeng magamit nila ito, kapital sa kabuhayan, pagsisimula muli ng bagong buhay kasama po ang kanilang pamilya. Kasama po ‘yon sa ating inaasam na peace (That cash grant is to help our former rebels. They can use it, capital for livelihood, starting a new life with their family. That is part of the peace we hope for),” the senator reiterated.

 

Related Tags

Lanao del Norte Bong Go ISLAMIC STATE Maute Group
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.