Fil-Am soldier dies in Iraq raid

A Filipino-American soldier was killed in an insurgent attack while on patrol in Iraq last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The Philippine Embassy in Baghdad reported to the DFA that Sgt. Myla Maravillosa, who was assigned to the United States Army Reserve 203rd Military Intelligence Battalion, died from gunshot wounds sustained in an insurgent attack last Dec. 24 while on routine patrol near Hawijah in northern Iraq.

Officer-in-charge Joel Nunag of the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad said Maravillosa, a native of Bohol, was a resident of Wahiawa, Hawaii.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo conveyed his condolences to Maravillosa’s family through the Philippine consulate general in Honolulu.

"I convey the heartfelt condolences of the Filipino people to the family of Sgt. Maravillosa in their hour of grief over the death of a loved one that happened on Christmas eve. We join the family in their prayers for Myla’s eternal repose in God’s kingdom. We honor

the bravery and unselfish dedication to the mission of bringing peace and democracy to Iraq as the Filipino people join the freedom-loving people of Iraq in their efforts to rebuild their country and establish democratic governance," Romulo said.

The US Department of Defense will attend to all the funeral requirements of Maravillosa, a US citizen and US army soldier. — Pia Lee-Brago