THIRTY-SEVEN government troopers, including five officers, were awarded the Gold Cross Medal, the third highest military decoration in combat, for feats in the fight against communist rebels.
Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, commander of the military’s Visayas Command (Viscom), conferred the award last Tuesday when he visited the headquarters of the 302nd and 303rd brigades in Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental, respectively.
Viscom said five officers, 31 enlisted personnel and two members of the Cafgu Active Auxiliary who are assigned with units under the two brigades, received the Gold Cross Medal “for their gallantry in action during encounters against the CPP-NPA (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army).”
The Gold Cross Medal ranks third in combat medals. The highest is the Medal of Valor, followed by the Distinguished Conduct Star.
Arevalo also awarded the Silver Cross Medal to nine officers and 19 enlisted men “for their distinguished achievement and heroism in the conduct of special operations against the terrorist group.”
Viscom spokesman Lt. Col. Israel Galorio said the awardees gained the feats during various operations against the communist rebels during the third quarter of this year.
Some of the awardees, Galorio said, figured in a series of encounters with NPA rebels in Bilar, Bohol last September 7 that led to the death of six rebels and the seizure of seven high-powered firearms.
“Conferring awards to our soldiers is our way of keeping them highly motivated and focused in our campaign. This is to assure them that their efforts and sacrifices in the fight against the CPP-NPA are properly recognized,” said Arevalo.
“These awards manifest the strong dedication and steadfast commitment of our soldiers in accomplishing our mandate of ending the local communist armed conflict while sustaining peace and fostering development for all the people in the region,” he added.
Arevalo reiterated his call to communist rebels to surrender even as he said the military remains “highly motivated in our campaign to end the menace of the CPP-NPA in the Visayas region.
“We will never stop, and we will continue to push harder. Thus, we urge the few remaining members of the CPP-NPA to lay down their arms now and return to the folds of the law while they still have the chance,” said Arevalo.
