“Years have passed since the bloodshed but the Philippine Army still honors and will forever remember the fortitude of our fallen heroes in Zamboanga,” the Army said in a tribute. But we cannot deny that in this battle, the hardest hit were the civilians,” the Army said. The Army cited 1Lt Francis Damian, who was shot dead during close-quarter battle on Sept. 23, 2013. The Army tribute said Damian was supposed to be on a 10-day academic break after he graduated from Basic Airborne Course. “Instead he volunteered to be deployed in Zamboanga to fight alongside his men,” the Army said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer September 28, 2020 15:00 UTC