Another story of a fallen soldier has made its rounds on social media, gaining the sympathy, respect, and praise of Filipinos.
A young soldier made a remarkable act of courage in the ongoing battle at Marawi City, a southern city in the Mindanao region that has been under attack by the Maute organization since May 23.
The ISIS-inspired extremist group invaded the city, and has since wreaking havoc and violence against civilians, especially non-Muslims for weeks already. The Armed Forces of the Philippines immediately responded to the attack, and many soldiers have died already.
Stories of fallen soldiers shared on social media always break the hearts of Filipino netizens, and a recent one really horrified people as a detailed narrative of the soldier who died in the battlefield was disclosed.
‘Sa Ngalan ng Gobyerno’, a Facebook page, told the story of a twenty-four-year old soldier named Bayot, who sacrificed himself in order to take down a large number of Maute group members.
Private First Class Dhan Ryan Bayot was stationed in a detachment in Barangay Lilod, Marawi City on the 2nd day of the Marawi siege, May 24, together with his team consisting of nine soldiers from the 51st Infantry Batallion including himself.
They were ordered to go the said location for a town mayor requested for aid because his residence was just above the detachment. Not long after, Bayot’s team was attacked by the terrorists. They were shot from both sides of the road, as well as from the mayor’s house—indicating that they were outnumbered.
Five of Bayot’s companions were killed in the unexpectedly heavy attack. Three were able to escape the post, but were eventually killed excluding one who was injured.
