PATIKUL, Sulu (Oct 10, 2024) – “Bagamat ina-alaala natin ang nakaraan, ang mas mahalaga ay ang hinaharap,” Retired Gen. Emmanuel Bautista said during the wreath-laying ceremony on Thursday in memory of his father the late BGen Teodulfo Bautista, who was killed, along with 34 other soldiers in this town 47 years ago.

The incident, which is known as the Patikul Massacre, shocked the Armed Forces of the Philippines at that time. BGen Bautista, who was on a peace mission for a dialogue with a top leader of the Moro National Liberation Front, was brutally murdered together with several officers and soldiers. 

Bautista, whose last visit to this town was six years ago, urged the residents to safeguard and sustain the peace they are enjoying in Patikul and the rest of Sulu. To protect the peace, he said, is also a way to honor the people who took the ultimate sacrifice in the name of peace.

“Tahimik na ang Sulu, patungo na sa kaunlaran. Nakatikim na tayo ng matiwasay na buhay. Wag na natin bitiwan ito. Patuloy natin itaguyod at isulong ang kapayapaan at kaunlaran. Ito lang ang pamamaraan upang parangalan natin ang sakripisyo ng mga nauna sa natin,” Bautista, who was just a yearling at the Philippine Military Academy when the massacre happened, said.

Gen Bautista eventually rose in the military leadership and was appointed as the 44th Chief of Staff in 2013.

“Ang mga yumao dito ay nagbuwis ng kanilang buhay para makamtam natin ang ating mga hangarin — ang matiwasay na buhay, tahimik, maunlad, masaya, lahat tayo ay nagkakaisa,” Baustista urged.

“Kung nasaan man sila ngayon ay nakasisiguro ako na sila ay natutuwa dahil nakikita nila na ang ang kanilang sakripisyo ay nagbubunga na tungo sa kanilang mga layunin,” he added.

Bautista expressed his gratitude for the presence of the resident in the commemoration.

“Ngunit ang mas mahalaga, ay ang presensya ninyong lahat dito, lalong -lalo na ang mga taga dito sa [barangay] Danag, Patikul, Sulu. Nararapat lang na parangalan din kayong lahat dahil sa patuloy ninyong pagtaguyod sa kapayapaan. Lahat tayo ay iisa ang layunin, na mamuhay ng tahimik, at maging maunlad ang ating buhay,” he added.

Residents here have lined up at the roadside leading to the memorial marker. A simple dedication is written on the base of the marker to remind the people of the sacrifice made by the soldiers, it said: “This marker is built to honor the officers and men who gave their lives while on a mission of peace here at Danag, Patikul, Sulu.”

The solemn ceremony concluded with a gun salute.

Bautista said the lessons of the past must be relived.

“Saksi tayo sa nakaraan, ang kaguluhan na humantong sa pangyayari dito sa Danag noong Oct 10, 1977. Sana ay hindi na maulit muli ang hindi pagkakaunawaan sa ating lipunan,” he said.

“Lahat tayo ay Pilipino. Katunayan, ng nabubuhay pa ang aking ama, ay sinasabi nya na itinuturing nyang mga kapatid ang mga taga dito sa Sulu. Kung kayat iyan din ang turing ko sa inyong lahat, bilang kapatid,” he reached out.

Reaffirming the values embodied by the fallen heroes

Lt. Gen. William Gonzales, commander of Western Mindanao Command, said the military will never forget the heroism of those who perished in the incident.

“We remember their names, their faces, their stories and it may be etched in the annals of history, but their memory lives on in our hearts. We honor their legacy not only by remembering their sacrifices but also by striving to emulate their virtues,” he said.

Gonzales said they do not only honor the fallen but also to “reaffirm our commitment to the values they embodied: honor, courage, selflessness, and unwavering loyalty. The values are the bedrock of our armed forces, and they guide us in our daily service.” 

“As we remember the fallen, let us also draw inspiration from their sacrifice. Let us rededicate ourselves to the mission of protecting our nation and upholding the values they held dear,” Gonzales said.

“We pledge to carry their legacy forward, ensuring that their sacrifice was not in vain. We will continue to strive for a world where peace and security prevail, a world worthy of their ultimate sacrifice,” he vowed.

BGen Leonardo Peña, commander of the 11th Division and Joint Task Force Orion emphasized the commitment to bring just and lasting peace in Sulu.

“Ang paggunita sa kaganapang Ito ay hindi lamang upang balikan ang isang malungko na bahagi ng ating kasaysayan, kundi upang magbigay-pugay sa mga halaga ng katapatan, katapangan, at pagsasakripisyo na ipinamalas nina BGen Bautista at ng kanyang mga kasama,” he said.

“Inialay nila ang kanilang buhay para sa hangarin ng pangmatagalang kapayapaan at kaayusan sa Sulu – isang adhikaing patuloy na nagbibigay inspirasyon sa atin hanggang ngayon.

Patikul Mayor Kabir Hayudini said they are now reaping the peace dividends.

“The peace we are enjoying in Patikul now is rooted back to the sacrifice of BGen Bautista and his men,” he said.

“He did not just did because of his military mission but he really wanted peace during his time,” he added.

At least 10 barangays in Patikul have been cleared and residents are now reclaiming back their lands from the Abu-Sayyaf group. Sulu has been recently declared as terrorist-free after two decades of terror.

Gonzales said the military together with the local government units and the regional government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao have implemented multi-pronged approaches in addressing the root causes of the conflict.

Peace as transcendental 

Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez, Jr., said the incident is a painful reminder that even though the parties have signed the 1976 Tripoli Peace Agreement, there will be incidents that will test the peace pact.

“What’s important is our determination to protect the fragility of the peace process. It must be sustained. It must be saved at all costs,” he explained.        

According to him, both President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr, and Gen Bautista are pursuing the path of peace that their fathers have started.

“We have a President who wants to fulfill all the remaining government commitments in the signed peace agreements. The same thing, Gen Bautista is leading exploratory talks with the communist groups to hopefully end the more than half-a-century problem of Communist insurgency in the country,” Galvez said.

In his State of the Nation Address, President Marcos said his administration will honor the remaining obligations of the government in the peace agreements it had signed. During the opening of National Peace Consciousness Month, the President also emphasized his administration to pursue a principled and peaceful resolution to internal armed conflicts in the country.

Currently, the only remaining insurgency group that are active is the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front. 

Late last year, the government and the communist group issued a joint statement emphasizing the parties’ determination to end the armed conflict, ending the armed struggle, and the transformation of the communist group. ###