Ang MNLF 'Integree' sa Silangkan (Leadership Experience Part 11)

Nasa kalagitnaan ako ng aking breath pause habang inaaninag ang nag-iingay na target sa may kasukalan mga kalahating kilometro mula sa bungad ng Barangay Silangkan nang namukhaan ko ang aming target. 

"Sanamagan! Baboy damo!"

Pabulong na sambit ng Bisayang sundalo,"Ihalas!"

    (Photo is taken from the internet;photographer is unknown)

Ang laki ng baboy damo na tumawid mga 50 metro lang ang layo mula sa aming skirmishers formation. 

Parang nabuhusan kami ng malamig na tubig. Akala ko ay umaatikabong aksyon na naman laban sa mga bandido.

Napakarami kasing naglipanang baboy sa islang lalawigan ng Sulu at halu-halo ang species na andito. 

Parang maliit na kalabaw ang aking nakita sa kanyang haba at tangkad. Palagay ko ay isa yon sa variety o sub-specie ng tinatawag na Bornean wild boar na lumalangoy at tumatawid papuntang mga isla ng Sibutu sa  Tawi-tawi. 

Dahil Muslim ang 99% sa mga residente sa Sulu, di na kailangan ng conservation project dito dahil hindi naman nila ginagalaw ang mga hayop na ito. Bihira ang nagha-hunting nito na Muslim at ibinebenta sa mga Kristiyano lalo na sa mga sundalo.

Nag-reorganize kaming muli at ibinato ko sa aming Batcom sa pamamagitan ng radyo ang aming observation. Pati sila ay naka-alerto sa may likuran sakaling kalaban nga yong aming nakita.

Nang makuha ko ang kautusan na ipagpatuloy ang movement, lumakad na kaming muli. 

Bandang alas-sais na noon ng umaga nang malapitan namin ang bungad ng bahayan. Ihininto ko ang patrol mga 200 metro mula sa bahayan para makapag-recon. 

Gamit ang 10x power Nimrod sniper scope at ang Steiner binoculars, nag-scan kami sa paligid para makilatis na mabuti ang lugar. 

"Sir, merong dalawang armado. Naka-BDA uniform," sabi ni Cpl Gil Galsim, isa sa aking Team Leader at sniper.

Nakumpirma ko ang kanyang obserbasyon at minabuti kong usisahin itong mabuti. Nakita ko na ang armado ay naka-M16 Rifle at nakasuot ng pulang patch ng 1st Infantry Division. 

"Tabak patch yan. Tatsulok na pula at merong itak sa gitna," sagot ko. 

Ang patch kasi ng 1st ID ay hango sa tabak ng Scout Ranger. Ayon sa mga matatandang musang, ang nag-compose sa pinakaunang personnel ng Tabak Division sa Nueva Ecija noong araw ay mga Scout Rangers. Syempre, ayaw nilang talikuran ang pagiging Musang kaya Tabak ang ginawa nilang unit patch, bilang tanda na mga mandirigma rin sila na nanggaling sa hanay ng mga musang.

Sa aming pag-uusyoso at paninilip sa lugar, namataan din namin ang 4 pang armadong kalalakihan na samo't-sari ang mga armas. Merong naka-tsinelas, merong naka-shirt lang at merong tila ay nag-bitbit ng attache case  sa istilo ng pagdala ng kanyang baril. 

Sa bandang likuran ng pwesto nila ay merong mga naglalarong bata at matanda na tila ay nag-rerelax at ini-enjoy ang preskong ihip ng hangin ng Sulu Sea.

"Ito na po ang sinasabi. Labo-labo na. Di na malaman sino ang mga iyan," sambit ko na me halong inis kasi nasa sitwasyon na naman kami na alanganin. Problema lagi namin na alamin sino kalaban at sino hindi. 

Sa estimate of the situation, ang pakiwari ko ay hindi sila Abu Sayyaf pero maaari ding meron doong bandido na kaanak nila. Nang ikumpirma ko ang location sa mapa, nasa vicinity na kami ng 'recognized MNLF camp' sa lugar na iyon.

Dapat kong malaman kung talagang kalaban sa kahit anong paraan. Pinili kong hindi sila pagbabarilin kasi ayaw kong magsisisi sa hulihan at marami ang madadamay. 

Kaya man naming ipatimbuwang ang mga armadong kalalakihan sa unang bugso pa lang ng putok, ngunit di mapigilang merong madamay na mga inosenteng sibilyan na nagkalat sa paligid nila. 

Doon ko nabuo ang isang desisyon: lapitan ang mga armado nang harapan at sila ay kakausapin. 

Batid ko na isang sugal ang aking gagawin kaya naman ay nag-plano kami ng pamamaraan para mabawasan ang risks at masuportahan kaming maayos. 

Ang una kong ginawa ay i-marka sa mapa ang grid location ng posisyon namin sa Objective Rally Point (ORP) at ang posisyon ng napagsuspetsahang kalaban (target).

Kinausap ko ang lahat ng Team Leaders.

"Ang team ni Boni at ni Tayros ang sasama sa akin," sabi ko sa aming briefing. 

"Ang team ni Panganiban at ni Cayabyab ang support elements na dumugtong sa amin sakaling magkaputukan."

"Ang team ni Galsim at Sabarre ang mag-provide ng support by fire. Ang sniper ay dapat sa pinaka-harap na armadong mga kalalakihan ang tutok. Wag mamumutok hanggat hindi sila naunang mag-taas ng baril at kami ay paputukan," mahigpit kong bilin. 

Kampante ako na di kami lugi. Sa layong 200 metro, peanuts lang sa aking mga tropa ang magpatama ng bandido. Sa snipers, kahit palagitnaan pa ng mata ang marka ng 7.62mm round.

Ipinasa ko ang aking plano sa Battalion at nag-request ako na i-lay ang 81mm Mortar para kami ay masuportahan. Napabilib din kasi ako sa kagalingan ng mortar section ng 32nd SF Company sa una naming bakbakan. Dahil accurate at nasa 35 metro ang kill radius nito, mahiya-hiya rin yong mga makipaglaban sa amin. Kailangan lang talaga na magaling ang Fire Direction Center, ang mga operator nito at syempre, ang Forward Observer na syang mag-adjust ng fires. Kapag isa sa kanila ay palpak, mabatuktukan kami ng mortar rounds sa aming posisyon. Isa rin sa delikado sa sitwasyon namin na iyon ay nasa gun target line kaming nasa harapan. Konting palpak sa pagbigay ng range (distance), kasama kami sa mapahamak. 

Ipinagpaubaya ko na lang kay Sir Bobby Morales ang lahat kasi ito ang itinapos nya sa Fort Benning, Georgia na kung saan ay sa layong 3km ay pinapatamaan nila ang mga T72 tanks ng mortar rounds. Bahala na si Batman este si Batcom.

At the same time, naka-alerto rin ang 20th SRC na pinamunuan ni Lt Sam Yunque, ang 12th SRC na noon ay dala ni Lt Binalla at ang SF company ni Lt Nick Banzuela para kami ay tulungan sakaling balak ng kaaway na kami ay kukuyugin. Walang iwanan!

Bago namin tuluyang lisanin ang ORP, nag-bigay ako ng mga paalala sa aking mga kasama:

"Lapitan natin sila na tila ay naka-relax lang. Low carry ang baril ngunit loaded ang chamber. Dapat hindi tayo threatening sa kanila. In case paputukan tayo, skirmishers front agad at bugahan ng volume of fire habang dahan-dahan mag-execute ng break contact."

Kagaya ng dati, kailangan kong mag-emphasize ng aming number one rule:

"Kahit anong mangyari, walang iwanan!"

Ramdam ko ang na tensyonado kaming lahat habang papalapit. Sa 1st Team ako sumama at nang ako mismo ang unang makakausap ng mga armado. 

Alam kong napaka-delikado ang aming gagawin pero iyon ang nakikita kong paraan para makumpirma kung kalaban ba talaga o hindi. Di ko naman masikmura na makapatay ng 'friendly forces' at maging dahilan pa sa dagdag kaguluhan. Kasama na sa aming P240.00 combat pay at P120.00 hazard pay yong pagsuong sa panganib. 

Mga 100 metro mula sa posisyon ng mga armado, nakikita na nila kami dahil tinumbok namin ang mismong kalsada na patungo sa kanilang barangay. 

Nakita ko na kumakaway yong isa. Ang ibang armado ay pasimpleng nagtago sa likurang bahagi ng bahay, samantalang ang tatlo ay kalmado lang at lumakad paharap at sinasalubong kami. 

Nakatitig ang isa sa kanila sa suot kong 'pispis' (anting-anting) sa aking ulo. Nakita ko ring meron sya at kinilatis ko ang kanyang uniporme. Battle Dress Attire nga ng 1st ID at sya ay isang opisyal.

Naka-smile syang lumapit sa aming team at naunang nagsalita.

"Sarge, sino sa inyo ang opisyal?"

Lumingon si Pfc Dumago sa akin na tila ay ayaw namang sabihin na ako yong kanyang Company Commander. 

Binitawan ko ang aking naka-sling na AUG Steyr at  sya ay kinamayan.

"Salam brother, ako si 1st Lt Cabunoc, ang kanilang Commander."

Niyakap nya ako ayon sa kagawian ng mga Muslim.

"Alaikumusalam! Ako si 2nd Lt Aberin. Binantayan ko ang mga kaanak ko dito sa Silangkan."

Nagtataka ako paano sya nadeploy doon eh samantalang na-integrate na sya kaya dapat doon sya sa kanyang mother unit. Kasama sya sa 5,500 na mga dating miyembro ng MNLF forces na isinama sa hanay ng Army (maliban sa 1,500 na isinama sa hanay ng PNP) simula noong 1997, ayon sa nakasaad sa GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement noong 1996.

"Paano ka napunta dito? Andito ba ang unit mo nakadestino?"

Marami syang sinabi. Kesyo ayaw daw nya madamay ang mga kaanak nya sa military operations. Kesyo ni-request daw sya ni Maas (Prof Nur Misuari). 

Presko pa rin kasi sa isipan ko ang briefing sa akin ng taga intel na sa buwan ng Pebrero 2000 ay dalawa sa mga MNLF 'integree' na sina Pfc Tating Asbarin na miyembro ng 51st Infantry Battalion, 1st Infantry Division,  at si Pvt Abdun Isnari ng Marine Training Unit, ang nasawi kasama ang apat na mga Abu Sayyaf sa isang bakbakan ng mga Marines doon sa bulubunduking lugar. Mas marami namang matitino sa kanila at loyal sa AFP ngunit di maiwasan na meron ding nagpapasaway.

Alam kong merong problema sa ginawa niya kasi hindi sya nag-serve sa kanyang unit at tila, doon pa sya nag-serve sa MNLF unit sa Silangkan. Ganon pa man, wala na akong magawa doon maliban sa i-report ang aking nakita. Ang importante sa akin, di nagkaputukan. Naglabasan sa mga bahayan ang mga kalalakihan. Ang iba me baril, ang iba sumisilip lang sa bintana. 

Ang lugar pala na iyon ay parte na mismo sa 'recognized' MNLF camp. Ang labo naman kasi, di mo malaman ang hangganan ng kanilang kampo. Di ito kagaya sa Camp Aguinaldo o Fort Bonifacio na klaro ang mga outer limits nito. Dagdag pa doon, hindi naman sya hitsurang kampo bagkus ay parang karaniwang barangay lang. Ang kaibahan, may mga fox holes sa gilid ng kalsada at may running trenches ang ilalim ng bahayan. Pang-gyera ang kanilang komunidad.

Ini-report ko ang aking sitwasyon sa Battalion TCP. Sinabi ko na kami ay nasa bungad ng MNLF camp. 

Nang sumunod sa akin ang tropa ni Lt Yunque, napabulalas sya sa ganda ng dagat at dalampasigan doon. 

"Bay, parang Boracay!"

Paano naman kasi, ang pino ng buhangin at ang linaw ng tubig. Parang nag-iimbita ang tanawin sa amin para magtampisaw na tila ay nasa island resort kami.

"Okay dito bay, parang Boracay nga sa ganda. Nakakawala ng battle stress. Wag ka lang lumingon sa likuran dahil manlumo ka na makita ang gubat ng Indanan at Talipao na kung saan ay naglipana ang mga bandido!"

Napabuntong-hininga na lang ako. Nasasayangan ako sa ganda ng mga lupain na angkin ng mga apo ni Rajah Baguinda at ni Sultan Jamalul Kiram.

Kung di lang sana magulo ang lugar, dapat ay nag-aagawan ang mga turista sa buong mundo para bisitahin itong napakagandang lugar. 

Nahimasmasan ako sa aking pagmuni-muni. May misyon pa pala kami. 

"Animal ka Robot, saan ka nagtatago ha!"

The heroes of Zamboanga: The next generation warrior-leaders

When I visited the home of the First Scout Ranger Regiment in San Miguel town, Bulacan on Tuesday (November 26),  I had the privilege of hearing action-packed, tear-dropping stories about our soldier’s triumphs during the battle for Zamboanga City.

Like the hundreds of Scout Rangers (both active and retired), I came there to attend the 63rd anniversary celebration of the 'fightingest' unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

During the traditional awarding ceremony, the hall was filled by a thundering applause every time a heroic soldier was pinned a medal or granted a plaque of citation.

The presence of Defense chief Sec. Voltaire Gazmin, AFP Chief General Emmanuel Bautista and Army commander Lt General Noel Coballes added to the excitement and pride felt by this year's roster of awardees.

Staff Sergeant Rehum Magno, 37, was among those who were given citations for their exemplary deeds in the unit. 

He was adjudged as the Best Enlisted Personnel, a prestigious award given to non-commissioned officers who made a mark in combat operations.

A native of Isulan town in Sultan Kudarat, Magno was among the heroes of the Zamboanga City siege.

A veteran of several battles with Abu Sayyaf bandits in the hinterlands of Sulu and Basilan, Magno found himself fighting with rogue MNLF elements under Nur Misuari in an unfamiliar terrain in the heart of a highly-urbanized area.

His unit, the 3^rd Scout Ranger Company, was busy flushing out NPA bandits in the jungles of Negros Island when it received an order to participate in the combat-rescue mission together with the other companies of the 1^st Scout Ranger Battalion.

‘Unfamiliar terrain’

As a Platoon Sergeant, Magno expected that he will be in the spearhead during the exciting battle. He had led countless combat patrols that yielded results for the unit's combat scoreboard.

Though his unit was well-trained in combat, he had some doubts about their ability fighting in the middle of concrete buildings and even in ‘disorganized’ shanties.

Their ability to innovate and use their guts was put to test the very first day that they arrived in Zamboanga City.

Reaching the vicinity of their ‘objective’, they were greeted with staccatos of gun fire from armed men who were positioned in concrete buildings. They hurriedly disembarked from the trucks which carried them to return fire.

He had confirmed his thoughts about the possible scenario.

“I saw houses which I knew were owned by peace-loving people but were forcefully occupied by heavily-armed gunmen. I was saddened that these homes became a battleground,” he said.

Unprepared to fight in built-up areas and without bullet-proof vests and Kevlar helmets, three of his men were critically hit by mortar rounds.

They were all bleeding and asked for MEDEVAC (medical evacuation) but he couldn’t reach the radio man who was behind his Company Commander, Captain Paul Ramos. 

During that time Ramos was with another group which was also heavily engaged in another sector less than a hundred meter away from him.

“I did my best to save my wounded comrades so I continuously made radio contact until one armored vehicle responded to pick my wounded men. Amidst the horrifying scene of soldiers bleeding profusely of their wounds, I was able to flash a smile, even my wounded subordinates who were trying to hide the pain,” he said.

Acts of valor

In the succeeding days, the Scout Rangers found themselves risking their lives in order to accomplish the given mission using the cherished fighting tradition "walang iwanan".

One by one, some of these fighting men were either wounded or killed while fighting with Misuari’s followers who were using human shields.

Magno vividly recalled the moment that he and his men had to use selective fires upon seeing that hostages were positioned between them and some armed fighters who sprayed bullets at their (Scout Rangers) positions.

“We were in the disadvantage but we have to protect the hostages. We didn’t want to hit them with our bullets so we killed the enemies using well-aimed shots.”

Captain Paul Ramos is all praises for Magno whom he said was ‘instrumental’ to the successes of his unit.

Ramos said that in many occasions, Magno displayed exemplary leadership under intense pressure especially during their last attempt to seize an enemy stronghold in Sta Barbara village.

“Magno helped me implement the create ‘rat holes’ on the walls separating us and the enemies in order to observe their movements. 

He also inspired his direct subordinates to continue fighting when it seemed impossible to succeed due to the obstacles that hindered us,” he said.

Ramos also credited Magno for facilitating the surrender of 40 enemies whom he spotted from the 'rat hole' that we made. 

"He is fierce in battle but is also considerate to those who did not want to fight. He risked his life by talking to them in his little knowledge of the Tausug dialect, leading to the peaceful surrender of all those armed rebels," he said.

While waiting for Sgt Pulalun, a Tausug-speaking soldier, Magno took the initiative of talking to the enemies who were still holding their firearms. 

He saw some of them were already injured but were still carrying their guns. He said that he overcome his fear and decided to talk to them from the hole that they made. 

"Mataud pa kamu dain di? Mag-surender na kamu!" 

He directed the armed men to raise their firearms and drop them on the ground before coming out their defensive positions. 

His initial effort paid-off when the armed men raised a white cloth and came out carrying their wounded companions. 

Magno said that he and his fellow Rangers welcomed the surrender of the armed men who had decided to lay down their arms because 'they are our Filipino brothers'. 

Ramos also revealed that Magno was not short of bright ideas and freely shared it to him like during the time when they had a hard time capturing a fortified and heavily-concreted compound controlled by the enemy.

“I was studying my other options on how to take the objective which we tried to seize for three days when Magno came up with a proposal to hurl as many grenades to the enemies who were hiding behind a thick concrete wall. It means that one has to risk his life by exposing himself to the enemy snipers and machine gunners,” said Ramos.

Realizing that none of his subordinates volunteered to do the job (hurling of the grenades), he made a difficult, risky but calculated decision.

“I removed my bandoleer and rifle so that I can carry all the 50 hand-grenades that we collected from all our personnel. I knew that it was like a suicide but I dared to face the danger to fulfill our mission,” said Magno.

Backed by snipers and M60 Gunners who delivered covering fires, Magno fearlessly dodged the enemy’s hail of bullets like playing 'patintero' as a kid.

"Home!", he said, as he reached his precious destination, the thick wall that served as cover and concealment for Misuari's men who were holed out inside the compound.

On the other side of the wall, he could hear the voices who frantically barked orders  to shoot him. 

"Timbakun!" "Hi siyu yan?" (Kill him! Who is that?)

He removed the safety pins and hurled the grenades one by one to various direction inside the compound.

In the middle of the continuous gun fires, he heard shouts of excruciating pain and sounds of panic and commotion. Somehow, it motivated him to continuously hurl grenades as far and as high as he can to pepper the enemies with grenade shrapnel.

“It was like playing basketball and I was excited every time a grenade made it to a window and a corner of the compound where I believe they were hiding. Suddenly, I heard a thunderous explosion and saw that the house was in flames,” Magno said, adding that they later found out that his grenades sparked the explosion of a storage area for explosive rounds and armaments that were used by the enemies.

The 3rd Scout Ranger Company successfully overran the said compound due to Magno's combat actions and that made him an instant hero among his company mates.

Another war-hero who emerged during that battle was

Corporal Michael ‘Mike’ Binauhan, 30, of Batangas.

A trained sniper, Binauhan, had experienced at least 10 battles in his 9 years of military service as a member of the 1^st Scout Ranger Company. 

Prior to his deployment to Zamboanga, he approached his Commander, Cpt Rolly Joaquin to request the issuance of his M14 Sniper Rifle that was kept in the unit’s supply room.

Like Magno, close quarters battle was new to him. He was trained to fight in the jungle but the sudden call to duty brought him to a maze of concrete houses and ‘barong-barong’ (shanties) in the slums of Sta Catalina and Sta Barbara villages.

His unit incurred some casualties during the early days of the battle prompting him to volunteer as the sniper/spotter for the troops as they continuously advanced towards a designated ‘objectives’.

He fully knew that staying in a rooftop would also expose him to enemy fire but he insisted, believing that he could do more to protect his comrades.

In one occasion, he saw the enemies mingling with the hostages in an adjacent compound while the others were hiding at covered positions to ambush the approaching soldiers.

“Seeing that an enemy was carrying a sniper rifle and was aiming his gun at the direction of my fellow Rangers, I took him down with one shot. As the hostages started to panic, armed men pointed their guns at them, forcing me to use my shooting skill to hit them,” said Binauhan whose downed targets were among the 43 confirmed kills accounted by the Scout Snipers who were deployed in the area.

Binauhan’s tough jobs continued day after day until the time they were issued a ‘tear gas launcher’ which nobody was trained to use before.

Daring as he is, Binauhan volunteered to use the weapon which was needed to neutralize the enemies who were believed to be holding some hostages.

“It was like a toy for me that I can use to shoot through windows. I was always smiling every time I successfully shot a tear-gas round inside a room occupied by the rebels who later ran to various  directions in chaos and confusion,” he said.

In one instance, he became the butt of jokes among his peers when he ended up coughing and shedding tears when he forgot to wear the gas mask while firing several rounds at the enemy stronghold.

“We were bloodied and tired during that time but we still managed to laugh at our situation. However, our determination to succeed was still there because we were trained as ‘Di bale nang mamamatay wag lang mapahiya’,” he revealed.

They were inching their way to finally accomplish the clearing operations when a little misfortune struck him. An M203 explosive shrapnel made a mark on his calf as he and his men assaulted an enemy position.

He felt bad when his officer ordered him to be admitted to the hospital despite the ‘minor wound’ that he got.

“I followed my officer out of respect but deep inside me, I had my plans on how to get out of that cozy hospital room immediately,” he said smiling.

It just took him a day of rest and a lengthy ‘influencing’ session with the doctors that he was finally allowed to be sent back to the frontline to fight side by side with his buddies again.

He was again fighting with his fellow Rangers in the next two days to seize their final objective which was a thickly-walled compound.

Everyone was already hungry and tired after almost three weeks of fighting and they had a hard time taking their unit’s own ‘target’.

Learning that some of the units had already taken theirs, they all felt the pressure to show them they also can.

Captain Joaquin was left with one option: cross an enemy kill zone and lob grenades inside the compound.

“When my commander asked me to do it, I did not hesitate. I knew that if it was my time to die, then only God knows how He would take back my life. I just need to accomplish my unit’s mission,” he said.

So, daring the enemy’s bullets that rained on him, he ran forward, carrying 10 hand grenades with him. He luckily made it to the side of the wall, bullets missing him by inches.

“Sensing that I was not hit, I started hurling grenades at them. I heard them crying in pain as I tossed all of the grenades around the compound, sending them in disarray.”

His heroic actions emboldened the remaining members of the 1^st SRC to follow him and forced open the gates to seize the compound.

Like Magno, Binauhan became the talk of the town among the members of the Scout Ranger Battalion due to his outstanding leadership and unparalleled heroism in the battle for Zamboanga City.

Both of them were nominated to receive the highest military honor in the Philippines, the Medal for Valor award. 

Seeing that the finest traditions of 'Walang iwanan' (Leave no one behind!) and 'Di bale nang mamatay, wag lang mapahiya' (To die than to live in shame) have been successfully handed down to our next generation of warriors, I am so proud.

We still have a band of warriors who are willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice when needed.

As we pledge in our Oath of a Filipino Soldier:  

"AKO'Y KAWAL PILIPINO, 

MABUBUHAY AKO AT MAMAMATAY SA TUNAY NA DIWA NG ISANG PILIPINO, SA KATUNGKULAN, KATAPANGAN, KATAPATAN AT KARANGALAN SA PAGLILINGKOD SA BAYAN. 

SA LAHAT NG ITO, PANATA KUNG IAALAY ANG AKING BUHAY, ANG AKING KAKAYAHAN AT ANG AKING KARANGALAN."

Photo credits: SSg Cesar Cuenca
                      Cpl Marlon San Esteban
                      FSRR photos

Tacloban City: Helping is fun in the Philippines

HISTORIC AIRSTRIP. This is the photo of the Tacloban Airport (officially named as the Daniel Z Romualdez Airport) that I took from a UH-1H 'Huey' Chopper. It used to be called San Jose air strip when it was used as a staging ground for the US air forces when they liberated the Philippine islands from Japanese Imperial Forces during the 2nd World War. 

I love Eastern Visayas because of its beautiful islands. 

I am sad to see its battered faces after super-typhoon Yolanda roared its way through the scenic places that I once visited not too long ago.

My last glimpse of its beautiful aerial scenery was in January 2013 when I accompanied then Commanding General of the Philippine Army, Lt Gen Emmanuel Bautista, during his command visit to see the troops of the 8th Infantry Division.

I was attracted by the beautiful images below me as we traveled by chopper from Tacloban City airport to Catbalogan town in Samar. I took several photos of the tiny islands, the mangrove forests and the rugged terrain. 

During my elementary school days, I first heard about Leyte and its current capital, Tacloban City, through the historical accounts about the largest naval battle that occurred here during the 2nd World War. 

Tacloban goes down the history books as the first town liberated by General Douglas Mac Arthur's forces; and, as the 'temporary' capital of the Philippines when Manila was still occupied by the Japanese Imperial Forces. 

Why 'Tacloban'?

According to oral and written traditions, Tacloban got its name from the word 'taklub', a local term referring to a basket-like fish catcher which was popularly used by the local fishermen. Naturally, fishing is among the main source of livelihood for the people.

Known as Kankabatok, it used to be a village in Basey town, Samar. A favorite place to catch shrimps and crabs, people also refer to the place as 'tarakluban', a term that means 'place to catch fish or crabs. Later, it was shortened to Takluban where its current English name 'Tacloban' is derived. 

It is believed that Tacloban town was proclaimed as a municipality sometime in the year 1770.

Typhoon path

The province of Samar and Leyte (Eastern Visayas), is a natural typhoon path for reasons only God knows. 

Aside from the killer typhoon Yolanda, an almost similar super typhoon also devastated the same areas in October 1897. 

In the recent history, typhoons regularly visit the place. People are so used to typhoons that they accept it as part of their normal lives and as a matter of fact, the Army's 8th Infantry Division is named  the "Storm Troopers".

  

When super typhoon 'Haiyan' (Yolanda) struck, Tacloban was put into the world map once again and cemented its name as the 'Ground Zero' for the strongest typhoon ever recorded in the world.

                               (Photo from an anonymous 'citizen journalist')

As we all know today, the super typhoon almost decimated everything in its path including concrete houses, coconut trees and the boats that were docked along the shorelines. 

The tragic loss of life and property became the worst nightmare for the typhoon victims who survived. 

Desperate to sustain their families, some of the fishermen used improvised fishing platforms such as broken refrigerators in order to catch fish.

One of the fishermen who was interviewed by a TV reporter expressed his thoughts this way:

"I don't want relief goods forever. Please help me to have my boat so that I can go back to my source of livelihood and sustain my family."

                               Photo by Reuters/ABS-CBN News

For this reason, the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation embarks on a project to help the local fishermen who lost everything during the onslaught of the typhoon Yolanda.

The mission is crystal clear: Help the poor fishermen regain their source of livelihood by providing them with new bancas (and perhaps, fishing nets too!).

When my friend Jay Jaboneta mentioned the project to me, I did not hesitate to help. May okay ang tumutulong kaysa tinutulungan.

As one of the supporters of the Yellow Boat project in Layag-layag village Zamboanga City, my reply was short: "Count me in!"

I took this photo of my friend Jay Jaboneta (in blue shirt, taking a photo of me) during our visit to hand-over the boats donated by a group of friends through my organization, the TOPSOLDIERS (organization of TOPS awardees recognized by Metrobank Foundation and Rotary Club of Makati-Metro)

To accomplish the mission, we are enlisting the help of kind-hearted people around the world to donate small amounts of money to finance the procurement of boats. 

By pooling our small contributions, we can procure one boat at a time for each of the typhoon victims so that they can sustain their families,  and as Dr. Anton Lim, the co-founder of the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation said, "We will also enable them to send their kids to school". 

I have to admit that I love these fishermen. They produce the fish that we eat. 

I simply love the kinilaw, tinolang isda and steamed Lapu-lapu. This is also one of the reasons why I committed myself in helping them.

Of course, I am also thinking about their family members. They must rise from the rubble of the widespread devastation. 

We must help them stand ramrod straight again and be proud as a resilient people who could not be easily defeated by any difficult challenges including typhoon Haiyan.

Para sa akin, mas magandang tumulong kaysa tinutulungan.

Helping is fun in the Philippines!

***If you want to donate directly to the foundation for this project, please see this link: https://www.facebook.com/YellowBoat