Defense department denies Sayyaf has taken new hostages

The Department of Defense denied yesterday reports that the Abu Sayyaf has slipped out of the military dragnet around Zamboanga del Norte and taken more hostages.

Department spokesman retired Maj. Gen. Melchor Rosales said: "we verified this and it’s not true." Earlier unconfirmed reports said the Abu Sayyaf and its spokesman Aldam Tilao, alias Abu Sabaya, managed to slip through the military cordon in Zamboanga and that the bandits are hiding somewhere along the border of Ipil town in Zamboanga del Sur.

"We now have a policy that only (AFP Southern Command chief) General (Ernesto) Carolina may issue statements about the operations. Those are operational matters," Southcom deputy chief for operations Col. Francisco Guidani said.

However, there will be regular press briefings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

On Wednesday, fisherfolk told police that they saw an armed group with some unarmed people in the Eleven Islands cluster of islets off Zamboanga City.

"The villagers disclosed the group was bringing unarmed people believed to be new hostages. This has yet to be confirmed," Curuan police chief Rolando Fernandez told reporters on Wednesday.

Malacañang also said yesterday the Southcom has not received reports of any new abductions by the extremist Abu Sayyaf in Mindanao.

Acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable Jr. said both the Armed Forces’ general headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo and the Southcom based in Zamboanga City reported that there are "no such hostages being held by any armed group in Mindanao."

"We checked that (reports of new hostages being taken by the Abu Sayyaf) through the Southcom and the AFP headquarters and reports of new hostages taken by any group are negative," Afable said.

He said he also could not confirm reports that the military and the police are asking school authorities in Mindanao to delay the opening of classes to prevent the abduction of students.

In another development, Bayan Muna Rep. Crispin Beltran yesterday dared the national government and the AFP to finish off the Abu Sayyaf within the month as reparation for the deaths of Abu Sayyaf hostages American missionary Martin Burnham and nurse Edibora Yap.

Burnham and Yap were killed last Friday in a rescue and pursuit operation dubbed "Operation Daybreak." Martin’s wife, Gracia was rescued and sustained a gunshot wound in her right thigh.

"The deaths of (Martin) Burnham and Yap were the result of a botched military rescue operation. The least the government can do to atone for those tragedies is to finish off the Abu Sayyaf within the month," Beltran said.

Beltran also asked for President Arroyo’s assurance that US military forces will leave the Philippines as soon as the Abu Sayyaf has been defeated.

The party-list representative added that both US and Philippine troops should be ordered to leave Mindanao as soon as the Abu Sayyaf has been crushed: "President Arroyo continues to insist that the fight against the Abu Sayyaf is the fight against terrorism and that the US troops’ help is necessary. By this juncture, can we ask the President to give her word that the US troops will leave the country as soon as the last Abu Sayyaf (member) is captured?" — Mayen Jaymalin, Paolo Romero, Roel Pareño