MAKING THE ROUNDS: Maharlika TV article dated September 14, 2022
MANILA — On the sidelines of the Leadership Summit on Monday at the Heroes Hall of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA), former Commanding General of the Philippine Army Police Lt. Gen. Jaime Delos Santos (Ret.) and PNPA Director PBrig. Gen. Eric E Noble, hang the photo frame of Colonel Rannie Hachuela on the Valor Wall.
Otherwise known as “The Living Hero of Siocon,” Hachuela is a graduate of the PNPA’s KAPANALIG Class of 1997. The PNPA is the country’s premier learning institution for police service.
Then a 27-year-old police captain and Group Director of the 903rd Provincial Mobile Group, he was cited for “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life” when he led his men in defending Siocon town in Zamboanga Del Norte and rescuing the town mayor and his family while fighting off the MILF rebels and Abu Sayyaf.
The nearly nine-hour long gunbattle around the town that ended in the late morning of May 4, 2003, claimed the lives of thirteen of the attackers, who were reportedly led by Jairullah Hassan, alias Commander Hairon of the MILF.
During the firefight, 12 civilians and 11 from the government side were killed. The town’s public market was also destroyed by the rebels, who also held a number of residents hostage as they fled to nearby Sibuco town.
Hachuela rallied his men to put up a strong defense despite running low on ammunition while waiting for reinforcements, stopping the wave of attacks by MILF rebels trying to take over the town hall, police station, and municipal hospital.
“He possessed the foresight, the leadership, and the ability to influence events in their favor: a true mark of a Lakan,” the officials said in giving him the recognition.
Hachuela stated that he was just returning the favor to the PNP and to the six of his coworkers who perished in the clash with the rebels. “It was a matter of life and death, so you only consider how you can defend yourself and your people at that point,” he said. “This is part of the job.”
The “Valor Wall” was conceptualized with the future leaders of the Philippine National Police in mind, according to Noble.
He emphasized that “inspirational leaders possess a deep sense of purpose and responsibility to create positive change. They are able to clearly articulate their values, put them into action, and do not buckle under pressure in circumstances where doing so would be necessary to achieve a goal, much like Hachuela had demonstrated,” Noble said.