Duterte gives early Christmas gifts to wounded soldiers in Mindanao

Wounded soldiers in Zamboanga City were gifted with brand new cellphones and cash by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday afternoon.

Duterte gave the early Christmas gifts to the wounded soldiers and their families in his visit at the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Western Mindanao Command Headquarters in the city.

In an interview during his visit, Duterte told reporters that he gave the soldiers money and mobile phones.

"Just to ease up their pain and their suffering... Kagaya ng trabaho ko is to visit them tapos magbigay ng konting pera at mga bagong cellphone nila," the President said.

"So bigyan ko sila, mas maganda pa sa inyo," he added.

Duterte reiterated that the government must take care of soldiers for they are laying their lives to protect the Filipino people.

"We should take care of our soldiers. They are giving up their lives for this Republic," Duterte told reporters.

On orders of Duterte, the military intensified its operations against the Abu Sayaf Group and Maute Group in Mindanao.

Earlier this month, a member of the Philippine Army's Scout Ranger Battalion conducting operations against the Maute Group was killed in Lanao del Sur. Several soldiers have also been wounded since the operation was launched against the bandit group last month. —ALG, GMA News