LA TRINIDAD, Benguet, Nov. 8 (PIA) -- In the service of the nation, another brave Cordilleran special force trooper sacrificed his life and was laid to rest in his hometown in Taba-ao, Kapangan in Benguet on Thursday, November 7.

Staff Sergeant Reagan Salbino of the PNP - SAF was killed while serving arrest warrants to Abdullah Angantap Taurac, a notorious gun-for-hire and watch-listed drug personality in Barangay Lilod, Marawi City on October 30. He was hit at the left side of his body while another trooper was wounded when the suspect opened fire at the joint forces of the 1403rd Regional Mobile Force Battalion, the 1st Police Mobile Force Company, the 103rd Special Action Company, the Lanao Sur Provincial Police Drug Enforcement Unit and the Marawi City police.

Taurac was also killed in the operation.

Salbino, a member of the 103rd Special Action Company, had survived the Marawi siege. He was one of the government forces who received "Medalya ng Kadakilaan" or the PNP Heroism Medal for their role in recovering Marawi City from Islamic militants led by the Maute group during the five-month-long conflict from May to October 2017.

Salbino joined the SAF in 2011 after graduating at the Cordillera Carreer Development College. After taking the basic recruit course, he went on to complete his two-year commando training joining the hundreds of his fellow Igorots in the SAF.

In his eight years in service, Salbino was also a recipient of many awards for his various accomplishments in service including the Medalya ng Kagalingan, Medalya ng Kasanayan, Medalya ng Papuri, Medalya ng Ugnayang Pampulisya, Medalya ng Paglaban sa Manliligalig, Medalya ng Paglilingkod sa Mindanao and the Tsapa ng Natatanging Unit.

Fretzel Salbino, wife of Raegan, was very emotional as she talked about the life and heroism of her husband. Married in December 2018, she is now pregnant with their first child.

"It is very painful because we have not even reached our one year anniversary and our child has yet to be born," Fretzel said as she shared the last time Raegan went home to them last October 4, and stayed for 14 days before going back to duty.

Fretzel remembers her husband as a fighter and a warrior who would fight until the end and this makes her very proud of him.

"I am very proud of him. Malakas ang puso at isip niya na lumaban, hindi siya bumibigay ano man ang pagsubok na dumadating. Fighter siya. Kahit ganito ang nangyari sa kanya, kahit sa huli nakikipaglaban pa rin siya kahit na may tama na siya."

Despite losing her husband in battle, she said she would still stay in the police service. Fretzel is a police corporal assigned at the Regional Mobile Force Battalion of the Police Regional Office-Cordillera.

"Ituloy ku ti serbisyok ti PNP ta isu ti kayat na. Kinuna na idi nga ituloy mu aginggana agretire ka, agserbi ka nu anya ti sinapataan tayu. Ituloy ko para met lang ditoy baby mi (I will continue to serve as a police officer because it is what he wants. He used to tell me to serve until I retire; to faithfully serve and protect as we have sworn. It's also for our baby), she said.

On November 1, the body of Raegan was brought to Shilan in La Trinidad and then to his final resting place at his hometown in Taba-ao, Kapangan. (JDP/RMC- PIA CAR)