By Antonet Go
ZAMBOANGA CITY, (PNA) -– Defense Sec. Voltaire Gazmin, Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista and Interior Sec. Manuel Roxas, II led Saturday the ceremonies in giving tribute to the fallen soldiers, policemen and civilians killed in the standoff here.
They were joined by Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar and other government officials.
The tribute was aimed at honoring the fallen soldiers and policemen who defended this city as well as civilians who were either killed while in captivity or caught in the crossfire.
The tribute, held at Camp Basilio Navarro’s war memorial, started with a flag ceremony and reading the names of the casualties one by one.
Twenty-three government troops–18 soldiers and five policemen–while 12 civilians were killed since the start of the standoff.
The standoff started when hundreds of Moro National Liberation Front rebels infiltrated this city last Sept 9.
After the tribute, Gazmin, Bautista and Roxas visited Martha Drive in Barangay Sta. Catalina, one of the sites of the fierce gun battle.
It was there Gazmin has declared that the standoff, which entered the 20th day Saturday, that it was over.