Sobejana on Basilan clash that earned him Medal of Valor: Ako ang may pinakamaraming tama

They may be outnumbered, but certainly not outfought.

On January 13, 1995, newly installed Armed Forces chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, then head of a Scout Ranger Company in Western Mindanao, led a 16-man team in an operation against the notorious Abu Sayyaf group in Basilan.

The Scout Rangers were responding to a tip on Abu Sayyaf presence in Isabela town and were probably clueless about the large number of enemy forces they were about to encounter.

Recalling the incident in an Unang Balita interview on Friday, Sobejana said the resulting clash lasted for five hours and wiped out almost half of his men, which then consisted of 14 Scout Rangers and two CAFGUs.

"Sa hanay ng Scout Rangers kung saan ako ay namumuno, pito ang namatay at siyam ang sugatan," he said.

"Sa mga nasugatan po ako ang may pinakamaraming tama dahil palagay ko na-identify nila (Abu Sayyaf) na ako ang pinuno sa naturang grupo."

The Philippine Army said Sobejana's right hand lost its motor capabilities after the encounter. Sobejana was commanding general of the Philippine Army before his appointment as AFP chief.

Though the number of casualties was heavy on the government side, it was heavier on the enemy side — 42 killed Abu Sayyaf terrorists.

Sobejana, who was given the Medal of Valor after the incident, said they launched the operation after they received "accurate information" on the presence of Abu Sayyaf men in Isabela.

A member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1987, Sobejana assumed the AFP chief of staff post on Thursday, replacing General Gilbert Gapay, who retired from service on the same day, in a change of command ceremony attended by President Rodrigo Duterte. —KBK, GMA News