Soldiers cheer as they leave Marawi battle area for home

With only a handful of terrorists yet to be neutralized in the main battle area inside Marawi, many soldiers cheered as they moved out to go home to their respective families after months of fighting bandits of the ISIS-inspired Maute group.

"Salamat po sa Panginoon at ginabayan kami sa pakikipaglaban sa mga Maute at maraming salamat po sa inyong mga suporta," an officer said on Jessica Soho's report on "24 Oras."

"Uwian na, may nanalo na," the soldiers inside a truck said in unison.

Officers like Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Tampus were decorated with a silver cross medal reflecting the lives they saved from the deadly battle area.

"Ang ibig pong sabihin nito 'yung mga accomplishment po natin sa mga hostages na na-save po natin sa main battle area, which is a total of 34 po iyun na na-save po natin," Tampus said.

The President on Tuesday declared Marawi City "free" from the Maute group's attacks following a successgul rescue operation where they killed two of top-ranking terrorist leaders, Omar Maute and Abu-Sayyaf's Isnilon Hapilon, who was also said to be the Emir of ISIS in Southeast Asia.

However, efforts to clear the city of all terrorists remained relentless beyond the Mapadi bridge that served as the boundary between the safe zone and the main battle area.

There are an estimated 20 to 30 bandits still holed up in the main battle area.

Among them are five bandit leaders—Malaysian Amin Bacu, an Indonesian and Hapilon's three children.

"Hanggang ngayon, may bakbakan parin," Colonel Romeo Brawner, deputy commander of Task Force Ranao, said.

A family of nine shared one of the temporary houses that was home to a total of 11 people.

"Actually po parang hindi kasya. Inadequate po kami dito. Pag gabi, hanggang dito lang po sa pintuan ang mga anak ko. Kaya okay lang po. Pagtitiyagaan namin pero okay lang po. Masaya rin kami," the mother Noraiza Arumpac  said.

Soldiers reportedly helped celebrate her child's eighth birthday on Thursday.

"Kaya tuwang tuwa siya noong kahapon, noong gabi kasi po ang mga sundalo kasi ang nagbigay, nag-celebrate para pasayahin siya sa kaarawan niya kahapon," Arumpac said. —Margaret Claire Layug/NB, GMA News