EastMinCom Gears Up for 19th Anniversary with Fun Shoot, Fun Run, and Charity Golf Tournament

 

DAVAO CITY — In celebration of its 19th founding anniversary, the Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) is set to roll out a series of sports events aimed at promoting camaraderie, wellness, and community engagement among troops and civilians. The festivities will build up to the command’s anniversary culmination on August 28.

Speaking at the Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum on July 3, EastMinCom spokesperson LTC Salvacion C. Evangelista, PA, shared that the anniversary lineup will feature three major sporting events — a shooting competition, a fun run, and a charity golf tournament — open to both military personnel and civilian participants.

The sports festivities will kick off on July 27 with a Fun Shootfest Competition at the Naval Base Compound Range in Panacan. The event, sanctioned under the Level 1 Philippine Practical Shooting Association (PPSA) seven-stage category, is open to both military personnel and civilian shooters.

Next on the lineup is a Fun Run scheduled for August 10 at 4:30 a.m., featuring 3K, 5K, and 10K categories along the out-and-back route of the Davao City Coastal Road. Registration is ongoing at P250, which includes a commemorative running shirt. Organizers expect around 1,000 runners to join the event.

The third and final sporting event is the Drive for Hope 4.0 Charity Golf Tournament, set for August 22 at Rancho Palos Verdes Golf and Country Club. Open to both military and civilian golfers, the tournament will feature team and individual competitions in Class A, B, C, and Ladies divisions. Registration fee is P3,500.

“These sporting events are not only a celebration of our 19 years of service but also a way to promote camaraderie, physical fitness, and charity within and beyond the military community,” Evangelista said.

The series of events promises to unite the community and armed forces in celebration, sport, and service for a greater cause.(Bob Braceros)

Remains of deceased NPA exhumed in Maragusan

The remains of a deceased NPA were exhumed through a joint retrieval operation conducted by the 1001st Infantry Brigade, 28IB, PNP Maragusan, Revitalized Pulis sa Barangay (RPSB), and Municipal Health Office of Maragusan in the vicinity of Barangay Coronobe, Maragusan, Davao de Oro, on May 11, 2023.

The recovery and retrieval of the remains of a certain Leonardo I Ellera Senior (Sr), a.k.a. Jimmy, Squad Leader of Squad 3 of the Dismantled Guerrilla Front 2 (DGF-2), operating in the areas of Davao de Oro, was made possible through the information given by Jeg, the former Commanding Officer of the said NPA unit. They were accompanied by Leonardo Ellera Junior (Jr.), a.k.a. Jimmy’s son, during the exhumation.

Based on the interview, a.k.a. Jeg revealed that a.k.a. Jimmy died of hypothermia on April 27, 2022. He further ascertained from Leonardo Jr. that Leonardo Sr., his father, was buried there. 

Accordingly, the relentless combat operations conducted by the security forces in the area forced them to bury the latter in a knee-deep, unmarked grave. It can be recalled that a.k.a. Jeg surrendered to the government on June 20, 2022, with his party wife, a.k.a. Dan-dan, former Secretary of the DGF-2, and two others.

Colonel Ronnie B. Babac, Commander of the 1001st Brigade, lauded the troops’ accomplishments. 

“This accomplishment only shows how we value the family's agony despite their rebels' aggression towards us and the people. It is but only human to put a premium on the feelings of the families of the NPAs who are still, until now, uncertain of the fate of their loved ones.

With that, I congratulate you and encourage you further to continue to exert efforts on recovering the remains of other deceased and slain NPAs, so that their families’ uncertainties and questions of their whereabouts will finally be closed."

The remains of Jimmy, a.k.a. Jimmy, were immediately transported to his residence at Brgy. Del Pilar, Municipality of Mabini, and were received by his wife, Elena. It was immediately and finally laid to rest at the Mabini Public Cemetery at around 5:30 in the afternoon on the same day. (Romeo Braceros Jr.)