AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon, a battle-scarred war veteran, is smiling widely like a kid given his first Playstation today.

The combined elements (mostly Army though) of the Army-Navy-Air Force had just killed the spokesman of the Abu Sayyaf Abu Solaiman somewhere in the peak of Mt Dajo in Sulu on top of the confirmation of the death of Abu Sayyaf charismatic leader Khadaffy Janjalani (who was slain) in an encounter last September 4, 2006.

On top of that, it appears that two other Indonesian terrorists who engineered the 2002 Bali bombing that killed 200 people, namely, Dulmatic (US $1-million bounty) and Uman Patek were also believed wounded in the Sulu battle. A quadruple whammy against the Enemies of the State - one might call it.

Khadaffy and Solaiman had a combined bounty (provided by Washington) of US$10-million (about P500-million) plus the P10-million from the Philippine government or a total of P510-million. If Dulmatic is confirmed as slain, this goes up to P560-million due to the informants that led to their death or capture.

The large bounty on the heads of the Abu Sayyaf leaders is because the group is tagged as responsible for the burning of the Superferry (114 deaths) and the kidnapping and (some) deaths of 17 Filipinos and 3 foreigners - Martin Burnham, Gracia Burnham and Guilermo Sobero. Martin was killed in a fire fight crossfire and Guillermo was beheaded.

It was General Esperon who phoned President GMA to rightfully give the courageous soldiers a victory dinner party and on-the-spot promotion in the presence of United States embassy officers in Malacañang. The president has been ecstatic since the "large harvest" of terrorist leaders placed the country again in the world map of anti-terrorism and vowed to crush the remnants of the Abu Sayyafs (numbering about 300 armed men) with the "hand of steel."

AFP Chief of Staff was probably destined to collar the Abu Sayyaf heads in his tour of duty - as there was hardly any opposition or rival for his designation as the head of the armed forces. Before his official appointment, the rumors had it that there were only two candidates for the AFP top post: a certain "Hermogenes" and a certain "Esperon."

Not only is he a veteran of the battlefields, Esperon graduated valedictorian at the prestigious Philippine Science High School and is one of the topnotchers of his PMA class. Among his classmates in both high school and the PMA is current Navy chief (Boholano) Rodgie Calunsag.

According to Esperon, none of the soldiers involved in the recent successful encounter with the Abu Sayyafs under code-name Oplan Ultimatum wanted his offered "vacation break" after the encounter - vowing instead to pursue the retreating terrorists unto the ends of the earth or hell, wherever their destination is.

The bounty of the P510-million is likely to go to the informants of the military (reportedly relatives of the slain leaders) - and that amount boggles the mind as it is in the vicinity of what Filipino boxing great Manny Pacquiao would make in the next few years of boxing in the ring. Insiders, however, said it is normal for the bounty recipients to share their financial blessings - to the soldiers who risked their lives, though in the line of duty. This voluntary sharing is about anywhere from 5% to 10% of the bounty or about P51-Million for the brave soldiers.

The Filipino people and the freedom-loving people of Planet Earth will not dispute that - it is worth paying for laying the monster to rest - at least for the interim. Besides the poor Filipino soldier, already burdened with outdated logistical support - is only paid a measly sum, often eroded by deductions from salary loans, educational loan and what have you.

Many of them still live with relatives or in squatter areas - because even if there are housing loans available, their take-home pay (after deductions) do not allow them to go on an amortization scheme for housing loans. It is not easy to be soldier - not then and not now. The birth of the cellular phone, with the texting and calling capabilities, has at least bridged the loneliness of the soldier and his family as he is assigned far from the residence of his family. But his is a lonely world.

In a way, the deaths of Janjalani and Solaiman are worth converting into a film - given their rather uncanny manner of dying.

Janjalani was praying and singing the Koran on the top of his voice at five o'clock dawn (September 4, 2006) - while his comrades were snoring on the hammocks - and this audio impact got the attention of 2nd Lt Romeo Dimayuga who asked his men to hurl grenades and open fire to the direction of the Muslim devotee praying the Koran.

In the ensuing gunfight, 6 military men were killed and 16 others wounded. But getting Janjalani was probably worth the loss.

Staff Sgt. Raul Suarello, on the other hand, was with his comrades about to assault the unsuspecting group of Abu Solaiman, when the latter went to a makeshift comfort room for his personal necessities. Armed with an M-16, the young soldier (who was inches behind Solaiman) and the rebel looked at each other in the eye for five seconds before Solaiman run and shouted "Allahu Akbar" "God is Great," a code phrase apparently meant to signal an attack.

Sgt. Raul shot Solaiman in the back fatally - the terrorist falling to a ravine - before a savage fight raged for hours.

General Esperon has vowed to attack the rest of the terrorists with faster, more ferocious and massive offensives - as they are now running for their lives, panicking at the loss of their leaders and located now by their hunters.

Off course, new leaders like a Shahiron or a Hapicon can rise and wear the robes left by Janjalani and Solaiman. But it would take time for them to develop a credible leadership and rebuild the rag tag group they have been reduced today.

One thing certain, one dirty chapter of the saga of the Abu Sayyafs mischief in the country has been torn from the pages of history.

Only time will tell whether the Abu Sayyafs themselves is now history as well.
But congratulations to our fighting men in the AFP is in order.