WATCH: Anne Curtis shares soldier’s Battle of Marawi story through epic video

Hello everyone. . Please take time to read. . 👉🏼 The gentleman beside me is 1Lt Bala Tamayo of the Special Forces 134 Vishnu company.. I met Bala when we were training and shooting with the Special Forces in Fort Magsaysay for BuyBust. He happened to offer oral rehydration salts during a very hot day in full battle gear and the rest is history. He became friends not only with myself but with everyone part of the BuyBust squad. . Shortly after, we learned that the troops were to go fight the war in Marawi. We somewhat kept in touch – which was great because we knew exactly what the soldiers needed during such a harsh time and sent over care packages to somehow boost their morale. Along with my care package I sent over my @gopro to Bala – you see, he is actually a very good film maker and has done shorts for the Special Forces. His request to tell the story and experience the Marawi Siege from the boots of a soldier could not be left ungranted. His words were – “i’ll return it if I survive this war. If I fall, my buddy will return it. That I promise “ I told him that I knew he would NOT fall and HE would personally return the GoPro once the war is over.. and IT IS OVER.. . He returned it without even scratch.. . So now, I would like to ask all of you to take time to watch the video of the actual war footage he shot with the GoPro I have in my hands in this photo. Watch how all the soldiers bravely fought for freedom and peace.. . A salute to all the troops that fought hard, fell and survived fighting for peace in Marawi.. . Thank you for your service and sacrifice.. . Snappy Salute to you Bala! Hi @gopro @goproph you definitely need to see this 👉🏼 https://youtu.be/_4zXI0X8Brc . . Edit: Link in my bio. You can also search BATTLE OF MARAWI on the official Army Special Forces account on YouTube to watch it. I’ve also reposted the video on my official Facebook page ❤️. P.S – if you are to repost or share please make sure to give credit to Bala and ask permission to upload if not using his link 👌🏼

A post shared by Anne Curtis (@annecurtissmith) on Jan 17, 2018 at 2:39am PST

No one has ever told or shot the Marawi siege story better than this soldier.

As she was preparing to kick-butt in her upcoming action flick “BuyBust,” Anne Curtis picked up a friendship with First Lt. Bala Tamayo of the Special Forces and learned one thing about the battle that ensued for five months last year.

On Instagram, Curtis recalled the first time she met Tamayo when he “offer[ed] oral rehydration salts during a very hot day in full battle gear.” Then she learned that he and other troops were being sent to the war-torn city to fight insurgents.

“We somewhat kept in touch – which was great because we knew exactly what the soldiers needed during such a harsh time and sent over care packages to somehow boost their morale,” Curtis said.

Adding in her care package was a GoPro camera, since she remembered that the soldier was a filmmaker and had done shots for the Special Forces.

“[I]’ll return it if I survive this war. If I fall, my buddy will return it. That I promise,” Curtis recalled Tamayo’s words.

In the end, he returned the camera “without even [a] scratch.”

The video, which was uploaded in the Army Special Force page on YouTube, encapsulated the months the government forces fought to liberate the embattled city. It was released in November, one month after Marawi had been freed from militant forces.

“A salute to all the troops that fought hard, fell and survived fighting for peace in Marawi,”Curtis said in dedication to the troops and gave her “snappy salute” to Tamayo. /ra

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