Western Mindanao Command (WESMINCOM), Zamboanga City
July 5, 2021

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte paid a visit to the Western Mindanao Command (WESMINCOM) in Zamboanga City to honor the Wounded-in-Action (WIA) and Killed-in-Action (KIA) soldiers a day after a Philippine Air Force (PAF) plane crashed in Patikul Village in Jolo, Sulu.

According to reports by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the C-130 plane carrying nearly a hundred passengers was set to transport troops from Cagayan de Oro City to the Province of Sulu in Mindanao when the pilots failed to regain power and missed the runway. The ill-fated event, said to be the worst military air disaster in the country for decades, injured and took the lives of both military personnel and civilians.

Upon arrival, the Commander-in-Chief visited the Camp Navarro General Hospital (CNGH) and awarded the Order of Lapu-Lapu with the Rank of Kampilan to the WIA soldiers. Thereafter, he proceeded to the Naval Forces for Western Mindanao (NAVFORWEM) and led the symbolic Conferment of the Order of Lapu-Lapu with the Rank of Kalasag to the KIA soldiers.

By virtue of Executive Order (EO) No. 35 signed on 28 July 2017, the Order of Lapu-Lapu Kampilan and Kalasag medals are awarded to officials and personnel of the government, as well as private individuals, who were seriously wounded or suffered great loss of property and to those who lost their lives, in the pursuit of the President’s campaign or advocacy.

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