Kaffir Lime (Suwa)

kaffir lime is a shrub that belongs to the citrus family. It is called suwa in Northern Mindanao, Philippines. The plant can grow up to about 4 meters tall and is easily distinguishable from other citrus plants because of its distinctive “double leaf” look of leaves. Like some citrus shrubs, it has no trunk in the base but stems and branches that have sharp spines.

Suwa has leaves with pleasant limy aroma and small white flowers. Its fruit is excessively sour even when fully ripe. It is ovate in shape with thick skin. Inside it is pulpy juice-containing segments. Because of its sourness, suwa is not commonly consumed by people as a table fruit but as ingredient and flavor for dish especially kinilaw, the Filipino version of the Mexican ceviche. Cebuano speaking people of Northern Mindanao such as those in Cagayan de Oro are fond of eating kinilaw, a fresh fish-based dish. Kinilaw is not complete without the indigenous ingredients of suwa, tabon-tabon, siling labuyo (bird’s eye chili pepper), tuba (coconut bud sap) and vinegar. Other ingredients can be optional depending on the taste or likings of the one who prepares it as well as those who consume it. A squeeze of suwa juice is also best to flavor a Filipino condiment called bago-ong which is made from a brine fermented fish.  

Because of its limited applications, suwa is not grown in commercial scale, but are just mostly grown in the backyard where it can be a decorative or fruit bearing shrub. A single plant of the ever-fruitful Suwa can provide the house owner enough fruits for his needs all year round.

Greening the Shore of Punta, Bonbon, Cagayan de Oro with Mangroves

One of the most visited sites for coastal forest conservation in Cagayan de Oro is the mangrove tree planting and rehabilitation area in Punta, Bonbon. With coordination from CLENRO, different government, non- government organizations, civic groups as well as members of the uniformed service government personnel such as those of the AFP and PNP have been going to the site to give their fair share of effort in planting the shore with mangrove trees.

The activity was halted during the COVID pandemic since people were limited of their movement or restricted to do activities that necessitated their gathering. Now, that the spread of the pandemic has slowed down and the number of infected people brought to a significant minimum, it will be expected that mangrove planting on the shore will soon resume.

Mangrove trees and other salt water tolerant plants are important for the protection of land especially those located near the shore because they keep the soil and sand from being washed away to the sea by the winds and waves that over time make the sea inch closer inland. During natural calamities such as tsunami and typhoons, mangrove forest serves as wind and wave brake that lessen the impact of the destructive force of said phenomena before they can reach and wreak havoc on human settlement area near the shore.  

A mangrove forest is a breeding ground and sanctuary for different aquatic marine animals such as fishes, crabs, shells, and even insects. It can also attract birds that hunt for foods therein. In this forest is an ecosystem where plant and animal species are dependent to each other for their continuing existence.

It is now evident that the effort of the people has now borne fruit. Cluster of trees planted long ago has evolved into a small forest. Other trees are now tall and young ones show sign of surviving into maturity. Patches of area on the dark shore are gradually turning green and probably in the future said places will also turn into a mangrove forest.

Mangrove tree planting on the shore of Punta, Bonbon is only one of the activities conducted for the preservation of the environment. Other activities done by cause oriented people in the city include tree planting in such vulnerable areas as river sides, hills and mountains and cleaning of waterways such as creeks and rivers to rid them of obnoxious garbage like plastic bags and other plastic products.

It goes without saying that the development to the greening project is symbolic to the people’s desire and determination to work together to attain an eco-friendly environment which is livable and safe to the community.

See related post by clicking on the link below:

Mangrove Planting, the Making of Mangrove Forest on the Shore of Bonbon, Cagayan de Oro https://lapasan-myblognoel145.blogspot.com/2017/04/mangrove-planting-making-of-mangrove.html

Tubajon Aquamarine Park

 Tubajon Aquamarine Park is a 22-hectare government protected area in Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental. Its terrain features include a vast mangrove forest and coral reefs along the shore.   

Protecting natural resources such as those in Tubajon is important for our environment because mangrove forest and coral reefs serve as breeding and feeding grounds and sanctuary for fishes, sea turtles and invertebrates. Coral reefs and mangrove forest can also mitigate damage to offshore area inhabited by people by cushioning the impact of big waves caused by natural calamities such as tsunami and typhoon.  Without wave brakes, the impact of said natural phenomenon could be catastrophic.

Since 2002 local government units have made the place not only a nature park but also a tourist destination for local and other visitors. One must pay 50 pesos for an entrance to the park. Its attractions include a walk through the mangrove forest via the bamboo bridges that lead to the makeshift bamboo dock for boats. The dock also serves as a platform for visitors who wish to swim in the water. Along the bamboo bridges are cottages for a fee ranging from 200 to 1,000 pesos if they wish to stay at the forest for several hours.

For visitors from other places, his stay at the park is somewhat not complete without a short trip to the waters where the coral reefs are located. To do it, he must hire a boat for the tour. The fee is about 700 per hour. It should be desirable if the boat is a glass bottom one to see what is under the water. On board he can see the corals and fishes, and if he is lucky enough the sea turtles. Sometimes, sea turtles are not on sight during a ride on a motorized boat.

It is best to go there on a private car or a public utility van. The reference point is a road junction with a wet market on the corner in Mauswagon, Laguindingan. Just follow that road going north or toward the sea and it will lead you to your destination.

A Sunflower Farm In Kinawe, Libona, Bukidnon

Sunflower is an herb that produces brilliant, mostly big yellow flowers. The plant is still not yet so plentiful in the Philippines that a farm growing it attracts people’s interest. For cut flowers, people prefer roses, orchids and other flowers. Most people grow sunflower as ornamental plant because it is a beautiful sight in their garden. The flowers face the direction of the sun or the east in the early morning and follows the sun as it goes westward. When they mature, the flowers stop that movement, and just face east and droop down because they become too heavy for their stem to stay erect. The seeds of the sunflower can be extracted with oil for various industrial applications including cooking oil.

In Libona, Bukidnon a farm called Kinawe Blooming Farm is growing sunflower and other flowering plants with sunflower as its main produce. People go to the farm to see a sunflower, and to have a picture or video with the sunflowers and other plants as a backdrop. Entrance fee is 50 pesos which is consumable which means that the amount can be used to buy a farm produce of that amount.

Visitors to the farm can eat at the Blooming Farm Café when their presence there coincides with their meal or snack time. Other amenities include a ride on a cart drawn by a Brahman bull at a fee of 25 pesos per person. The cart axle though is not provided with leaf springs so that when one is on the cart he should prepare for a jolt on the buttocks when the wheels hit a bumpy ground.

The farm is about a 20 to 30 minutes ride from Cagayan de Oro through the Indahag- Kiliog route. It is best to go there if visitors have their own cars. One can also avail of a public transport on a PUJ that ply the route. But having that ride back home when its late in the afternoon might be difficult.                     

The best time to be in the farm when one’s purpose is to take pictures or create video is in the early morning or late in the afternoon when the sun is not yet too high up in the sky. Hot sunlight is harsh to the skin and body. In addition, a very bright sunlight will create undesirable shadows and contrast to pictures, whereas a cloudy weather with no rain and a diffused sunlight in the early morning and late afternoon shortly after sunrise or before sunset will give an appealing contrast and look to pictures.

My Watches

Time was when the local watch market in the 60’s was dominated by Swiss made brands. But as the years went by the advent of Japanese made watches made them the choice of the locals because of their durability, quality and price.    

When I was young my first watch was a Swiss made hand wound hand-me-down from my brother. Becoming a soldier later I used to buy either a Seiko or a Citizen as my timepiece. I couldn't remember anymore where my old watches went. For all I know, they were probably lost because in the military I didn't have a permanent place of residence. Most often, I moved from one place to another depending on the contingency of the service.                                                                        

As a person I always like to have a watch on my wrist to glance at the time at any moment. This is the reason why I sort of having a watch collection. But my watches are not expensive they are just cheap to modestly priced ones from reputable brands. I don't buy expensive watches because I don't consider then as investment. If I had the means, I would rather buy jewelry because gold appreciate in price overtime.                                                                                                                                                       

Most of my old watches were automatic. Their movement is powered by a rotor that spins with the motion of the hand. In the late 60s the quartz technology was introduced taking the watch industry by storm. This technology enabled manufacturers to make more accurate watches at a much cheaper price than the traditional mechanical watch. Furthermore, the watch can be easily manufactured thus facilitating the mass production of cheaper watches. Quartz watches keep time through a battery which electrifies its tiny crystal. They can measure exact time to within half a second per day whereas an automatic watch is accurate to within 5 to 10 seconds per day. Battery of a quartz watch can last for about a year or two.

Despite their soundness, quartz watches are frowned upon by some people because they looked cheap and not durable. And they don’t look good enough to be seen on one’s wrist. On the other hand, mechanical watches are more expensive, built like a tank, and can even outlive their owners. A quartz movement looks like a piece of electronic parts while a movement of mechanical watch is composed of tiny metal gears and other parts that display great craftmanship and precision engineering in their production.

After several years when I settled back for good in my city, I bought an automatic Japanese made Orient watch. Although its movement is run through the traditional mechanical technology, its make and some features have the trappings of a modern mechanical watch. It has an open-heart black dial, a case back display, and a bracelet with push button clasp. In addition, it has a hackable second hand, and the movement can also be hand wound.

Although I had some Casio digital watches in the past, my first experience with analog quartz watch came when my sister gifted me with a Timex watch. When its battery ran out, I thought that it was totally broken so that I replaced it with a newer Timex version- a field watch. Sending my old broken Timex to a watch maker, I found out that it only needed a new battery and crown replacement. Since then, that watch is still active with me although I use it only sometimes. I like both of my Timex because of their indiglo feature which give sufficient illumination on the dial in the dark.

I like simple looking watches, but on the other hand, I am fascinated too with watches with sub dials and multiple hands. In this regard I have with me my Timex chronograph, but I didn’t like it because the second hand is small and situated in a sub dial. In its usual place is the chronometer second hand which is still when the chronometer function is not activated. I wanted something other than a chronometer, so that I bought a Fossil stopwatch. I like it because its second hand is placed where it should be in an ordinary watch. I like to see the second hand always moving and not stopping. I’m not really into the special functions of these watches because I rarely use them anyway. It is their aesthetic look that draw me into them.

Being a former soldier, I also have a watch whose features I can associate myself with. Casio is a leading producer of multi-function digital watches. Mine is a solar-powered Casio Pro Trek that aside from keeping the time is also equipped with features that are useful for outdoor activities such as camping and hiking. This watch can give compass direction, as well as barometer and altimeter or elevation readings among others. Although these features are not a big deal today because they are accessible through apps in Android phones provided there is an internet signal. In addition, my Casio can determine sunset and sunrise time as well as a stopwatch and chronometer functions. Since it is a solar-powered watch it needs to be always exposed to a light source especially sunlight to keep its battery energized.

Some time for a change especially in social event, I would like to wear a watch that suit the occasion like a dress watch. I have with me a cheap quartz dress watch. This is a Citizen watch with a rectangular shape with the dial markers or indices set in stones which make it look distinct from all the others that I owned.

In today’s age, a person can just get along without having any wristwatch at all. His smart or other phone can tell him the time. I for one have a Vivo smart phone that can also serve as a timepiece. It can be downloaded with apps of my own likings through the Android play store. I can even download GPS navigation apps for free. An internet signal though is needed to access those apps.

The advantage of a wristwatch over a cell phone in keeping up with the time is that wristwatch is made to withstand adverse weather condition such as rain. One should not worry to get caught in the rain with his watch drenched in water. But not so with cell phone. Contact with huge amount of liquid may permanently damage the phone.

At present I tend to prefer a quartz watch over a mechanical watch although I will say that ’m still a fan of the latter. I don’t wear my Orient every day, and when I take it off my wrist and put it away in my drawer or somewhere else for several days or a week, it stops running. And this is really something I don’t like since I must reset the watch hands and shake its automatic mechanism to reactivate it. My quartz watches on the other hand can keep on running even if they are off my wrist for days, weeks or even months. And when I want to wear them again, I just have to put them back on my wrist without any bother at all.                                                                                                                                              

 

 

 

Christianity and Islam, the Religions that Shaped the Course of World History

 

A Catholic cathedral in the Philippines

A son of a carpenter, Jesus was born at about 4 or 6 BC during the reign of Roman emperor Augustus Caesar. He assembled twelve disciples to represent the twelve tribes of Israel and started his ministry at about the age of 30. He preached about Jewish laws and religion and the eminent coming of the kingdom of God. His activities were not seen favorably by the Jewish religious leaders who considered him as a threat to the stability to the community. His claim as a son of God was deem unacceptable and highly blasphemous. The high priests plotted against him and succeeded in making Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea order Jesus’ crucifixion.

                              Jesus and Thomas after the Resurrection by Caravaggio (a public domain image)

Jewish and Roman authorities thought the death of Jesus would put an end to his following. But his disciples and his followers even became more devoted and firmer believer of him after his death. Jesus followers claimed that they saw him resurrected as he had said and promised. And they were willing to suffer or die for what they believed in. With their preaching and healing of the people, the early Christians were able to gain adherents, and soon they moved into the realm of the Roman Empire amid hardships and persecutions armed only with their willingness to sacrifice and the strength of their conviction. The promise of salvation, an eternal life for everyone and the reported miracles and healing convinced people that the one Christian God is superior to the pagans’ many gods which drove them to accept the new faith. And soon Christianity became the wave of belief whose rise in momentum could not be contained by the Roman Empire, the mightiest power on earth at that time.

Roman Emperor Constantine the Great who along with his forces saw a sign in the sky before the battle at Milvian Bridge against Maxentius on October AD 312 and attributed that vision for his victory in the battle. He adopted to the new faith and became the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. In AD 313 he issued an edict permitting Christians and people of other faith to profess their belief without fear of persecution. In AD 380 Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, and this made the religion spread massively across the Middle East and much of Europe.

The extent of the Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Trajan. Photo credit: Tataryn at Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0Unported

In AD 570 in Mecca, in Arabia Muhammad the prophet of Islam was born. At age 25 he married a wealthy widow named Kadijah. In his retreats in a cave in Mount Hira he encountered a being who told him to recite words. Afraid and thinking that he was becoming mad, he told the matter to Kadijah who in turn took him to Nofil, her Christian cousin. Nofil reassured Muhammad that what he saw was Angel Gabriel and that what he told him was message from Allah or God. Her words convinced Muhammad that he was indeed a messenger of Allah and that he had a mission to spread Allah's words.

Muhammad started to establish his new religion called Islam at Mecca at first. But locals as well the rulers were not interested, and they were even hostile to him and his few followers so that they feared for their safety. Muhammad and his followers fled to Medina in what Muslims called the event as Hegira. In Medina he was able to convert people to Islam and soon he was able to gain many followers. From Medina he returned triumphantly to Mecca where people now accepted Islam as their faith. Muhammad died in AD 632, and at that time Islam had already widely spread in Arabia. His successors called the caliphs then took the task of spreading the message of Allah and Islam beyond the borders of the Arabian Peninsula.

The caliphs propagated Islam by persuasion or by the sword overrunning Christian territories in most of the Middle East. They also marched toward northern India, Africa and Anatolia in present day Turkey. Christian Europe would be a prize target for Islamic conquest.

Muslims under the Umayyad Caliphate composed of Moors, Berbers and Arabs led by Tariq Ibn Ziyad crossed the strait of Gibraltar at about AD 711. They then conquered the Visigothic Christian Kingdom of Spain and in series of military campaigns controlled a vast region which they called Al-Andalus or Andalusia. To spread Islam farther, the Muslim Moors advanced north but they were defeated by Charles Martel, the Frankish leader in the Battle of tours in France on October AD 732. Defeated, the Moors retreated to Spain where they ruled in large part of that country for almost 800 years.

To protect pilgrims in the holy lands, to stop Muslim incursions into Christian territories and to recover places conquered by the Muslims in the Middle East, Christian kingdoms in Europe with the blessing of the pope launched military expeditions or crusades to execute those missions. The crusades were conducted from 1095 until 1291. However, the effort failed and the Holy Land and the Middle East remained firmly under Muslim control.  

Over time, in Spain the Christian kingdoms slowly regained much of their lost territories from the Muslims in a crusade known as Reconquista. The last straw for the Moors came with the marriage of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castille. Their combined forces defeated Boabdil or Sultan Muhammad XII of Granada on January 2, 1492.  In the aftermath, the Moorish Sultan was sent back to Morocco and all Muslims and Jews who would not convert to Catholicism were expelled from Spain.

On May 29, 1453, Constantinople, Christendom’s second most important city after Rome and the seat of the eastern Roman Empire which was also known as the Byzantine Empire fell into the hands of the Muslim Ottoman Turks under the leadership of the 21-year-old Sultan Mehmed II.

A picture of the Hagia Sophia, a Christian Cathedral turned into a mosque after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. A photo by Dennis Jarvis at Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 20 Generic.

The event had a far-reaching impact to the world since Constantinople is situated strategically in the southeastern tip of Europe and beyond its coast not far away is the northern tip of Anatolia or Asia Minor. Both places are separated only by the narrow Strait of Bosporus which made that city an ideal transport point for goods and people coming from Europe to Asia or vice versa for military, commercial or other purposes. Muslim control of lands in the Middle East and the fall of Constantinople made it difficult for goods such as silks, porcelains and spices from India, China and the Far East to be transported to Europe via the traditional silk route. And those that made their way into Europe became expensive.

European kingdoms particularly Spain and Portugal looked for ways to get around the traditional but perilous routes to procure those desired goods coming from the east. And they came up with the idea of sea travels as the alternative. The execution of that concept ushered into the Age of Exploration or Age of Discovery.

Victoria, Ferdinand Magellan’s ship from a map of Ortelius (a public domain image)

An Age of Exploration era ship from a public domain image titled “Half Moon in Hudson”

The Age of Exploration which began in the 1400’s paved the way for the transport of goods and people from erstwhile unexplored lands to Europe and vice versa. This interaction also brought with it the exchange of ideas and technology as well as the transmission of communicable diseases. The Portuguese and the Spanish also discovered vast tracts of lands that they colonized. They brought people from Europe and had them settle in discovered new lands, and also profited from the slave trade which forcibly brought people from Africa to work as slave labor in the new world. This situation displaced the indigenous people and in some cases they were decimated by diseases carried by the Europeans. The movement of peoples from one place to another changed the demographic landscape of a place. The Age of Exploration was an era when European maritime powers spread their language, culture and the religion of Christianity to many parts of the world. Other European countries such as England, France and Netherland later participated in the exploration of uncharted or undeveloped land in continents such as the Americas, Australia and South East Asia. The exploration made by the Europeans gave rise to the birth of new countries in the New World and some of these countries such as the United States and others have even become stronger than their former mother countries.

Slave Trade by Auguste Francois Biard (a public domain image)

Jesus is one of the greatest and most adored historical figures who ever lived. His teachings and deeds have profound influence in the lives and culture of billions of people. Christians believe that he is God’s fulfillment of the promised messiah in the Bible and the Son of God. On the contrary the Jews claim that he is not because he did not satisfy the criteria of being the Messiah. Muslims say that he is just a mere prophet. Others say that he is just a man like the rest of us. Divine or not, Jesus Christ is undeniably a figure who we can draw inspiration and emulation from. He was a pacifist par excellence. His teaching of loving God, your neighbor including your enemies; the forgiveness of people who wronged us, not judging others for their fault and other teachings are acts of kindness that will bring good even to people with the hardest of heart. These teachings will always remain relevant and will stand to the test of time for many generations.

Related posts:

Columbus, the Man Who Opened America’s Door to European Settlement and Christian Evangelization https://lapasan-myblognoel145.blogspot.com/2015/10/columbus-man-who-opened-americas-door.html

Spices, the Food Commodity that Changed the World https://lapasan-myblognoel145.blogspot.com/2014/03/spices-food-commodities-that-changed.html

The Men of "A" Co, 41st Inf. Bn in the Battle of Camp Barkat, Tipo-tipo, Basilan

A military operation to carry out Oplan Kansulod was conducted by 41IB, 4ID, PA in the area of Tipo-Tipo, Basilan from 22 to 30 January 1979 to clear objectives from the control of secessionist Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels. During that time Muslim secessionist rebellion was still at its peak in Mindanao.  

Tipo-Tipo, Basilan where my battalion was deployed was a poor municipality with small population of mostly Muslim Yakan tribe. It was one of the hot spots where bloody armed encounters between government soldiers and Moro rebels frequently took place. The municipality has a rolling terrain with low hills and plains. The vegetation in the surroundings are coconut trees, coffees, forests especially in elevated grounds and scattered small areas of under developed corn or rice fields. There are also balono and balite trees especially along the unpaved road connecting the municipality to Lamitan. Because of the armed conflict, the people converged in the municipality proper or in the small villages and leaving large areas uninhabited.   

The battalion’s operating units were composed of Alpha and Bravo Companies. I was assigned as one of the platoon leaders of Alpha Company. During that time I was a 26-year old lieutenant, and most of my men were younger than me. The other platoon leaders were Lt Feliciano Lao and Lt Reynaldo Gonzales who was also the executive officer. Our company commander was Lt Isidro Reyes.

Our operational area was a place that was abandoned by the populace. In it were few dilapidated houses that were long unoccupied. Seldom did locals venture there lest they would be mistaken for a rebel. There were coconut trees and coffees with unharvested ripe berries. Flying lemurs or “kagwang” unmindful of our presence did their routine gliding from one coconut tree to another. If not for the chirping of birds or sound of other wild animals the place would be totally still. In the evening the roar of pump boat in the coastal village of Bojelibung was audible. Despite the serene atmosphere, past incidents served to warn those who would be there that it was a dangerous place to stay because the enemies were seasoned warriors who were veterans of many battles not only in Basilan, but also in neighboring islands. And they had much familiarity with the terrain as well as the local populace to boot.

Initially, the operation went smoothly as planned. The company was able to clear out all its early objectives. The enemies were dislodged and fled away after brief skirmishes.Then final phase of our operation came. The exit point was the small village of Limboupas. On our route of advance was a certain area that was called Camp “Barkat”. But in there was no camp at all and there were no inhabitants. That place was virtually a battle ground with a notoriety of being the site of battles between government soldiers and MNLF rebels where both sides suffered heavy casualties.

In the afternoon, after lunch, Alpha and Bravo Companies broke camp for the conclusion of the operation. Bravo Company moved ahead of Alpha. After several minutes we followed suit. And hours later as we moved on, we heard sound of gun fires. At first, we thought that there was no cause of concern because gunfire sound was just common occurrence in the locality even in ordinary days. But the sound kept getting louder and louder so that we sensed that something was amiss. Over the radio, Lt Reyes called Bravo Company. It was the radioman who answered him that they were being ambushed. Later, there was no longer reply when Lt Reyes asked for more information which alarmed him.

Acting with dispatch, Lt Reyes then ordered his platoon leaders and key NCOs to advance toward the direction of the gun fires. Along the way, the radio man of Bravo and some NCOs who were separated from their comrades emerged, joined us and narrated the incident. Finding the site of the encounter, the company continued its advance. But as we get near, we were met with a deafening sound of fires accompanied by hail of bullets. Because of the heavy fires, the men had to crawl and creep using bushes and young coconut trees as concealment and cover. At times, amid the heavy exchange of fires, I could hear the whizzing of bullets just a few inches over my head.

Our advance ended in an place where there was an open area that looked like an abandoned cornfield. Further advance was difficult because it would render us a sitting duck of enemy snipers. The enemies could not advance to us either because they too would be exposed to the same predicament. In our position we only had bushes and young coconut trees to protect ourselves. The enemies on the other hand had a more vantage position being in a higher forested ground.  

From their respective positions the two sides exchanged intensive fires. The officers and the key NCOs had to tell their men to control their fire lest they ran out of ammunition. In the heat of the gun battle, our machine gunner was hit by a sniper bullet on the leg. Lt Reyes had to order the medics to bring him to the rear for treatment. The fierce firing continued and neither side could get the upper hand because the space separating them was an open field which could make an advancing soldier or a rebel a sure hit of a bullet.

As the fighting continued, the late afternoon was inching into the evening, and with it the volume of fires gradually dwindled. When darkness fell, the firings on both sides stopped but they were just observing each other. The officers told their men to dig in, hold their positions and prepare to brace themselves for an assault by the enemy. We felt that the enemy was just there in the near vicinity but they were probably expecting us to initiate the attack. But nothing came to happen that evening until the break of dawn.

When morning came reinforcing troops from the battalion headquarters with an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) joined the company. Even with more troops in the scene, the rebels still gave their parting shoots before withdrawing from the area. And shortly thereafter, the dead were recovered and the wounded were evacuated.

The battle of Camp Barkat, Tipo-Tipo, Basilan was a memorable and cherished event in the mind of the officers and men of Alpha Company as well as Bravo Company, 41^st Infantry Battalion who participated in it. Kudos to the heroic soldiers especially those who were wounded or gave up their lives. I would also like to pay tribute to the late retired Colonel Isidro Reyes who as a lieutenant commanding our Company was able to weather the storm despite the overwhelming odds against us. With his good leadership, he was able to hold at bay the well positioned and numerically superior enemies with only one fatality in Alpha Company. I also extend my deep appreciation to our gallant machine gunner, the late Pfc Santiago who lost his life in the battle.