For surviving the war in Marawi, President Rodrigo Duterte promised soldiers last August that they would get an all-expenses-paid trip to Hong Kong.
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar told radio station DZMM on Sunday that the president would be making good on his promise now that the war is over.
READ: Philippine military announces end of Marawi siege
Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Restituto Padilla told the same radio station that the government will not fund the trip with taxpayer funds, but “through private donations and an airline that agreed to give the soldiers free tickets.”
But hundreds of the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) elite Special Action Force unit who fought alongside the soldiers will not be going on the same trip.
According to a report in the Manila Bulletin, their boss, PNP chief Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa, said they will be going on a special trip to Tagaytay with him instead.
“We won’t ask for more money from the president because his money might get depleted,” Dela Rosa said in Filipino.
“That’s something for them already to look forward to, to be with the Chief PNP and the Command Group. We will go to Tagaytay and eat bulalo; our SAF commandos would be happy with that,” he added.
Tagaytay is a hillside town overlooking Taal Lake, just about 60 kilometers south of Metro Manila. The town is known for its bulalo, a popular beef shank and bone marrow stew.
