Villagers cross the new bridge with their work animals, even four-wheel vehicles.
“We used to cross this river on foot; now we can do it without difficulty,” Sala Kayanga and his wife Bai Kanutan said as they crossed the bridge on a water buffalo pulling a cart.
The wooden bridge that connects both ends of the corn fields still stands but is no longer used as it has deteriorated. It was the same bridge used by the Special Action Force troopers and some members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front that engaged them at dawn of Jan. 25, 2015.
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has introduced other projects like an irrigation system and new schools to restore people’s trust in government and sustain peace initiatives.
On Jan. 25, Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu will lead a medical outreach mission in partnership with the military and peace advocates.
The SAF troopers had come to Mamasapano to get Malaysian bomber Zulkipli bn Hir alias Marwan and his Filipino aide Basit Usman.[]
Marwan was killed in the raid based on the DNA test done on one of his fingers by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.[]
