Military still in the dark on hostages

Four days after a band of heavily armed Abu Sayyaf bandits staged an early morning raid on an upscale resort in Palawan and seized 20 people, three of them Americans, authorities were still in the dark regarding the whereabouts of the kidnappers and their hostages.

However, local police said the kidnappers and their captives have landed in the coastal town of Panglima Estino in Sulu, a report the military viewed with skepticism.

Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan said they expect some positive developments soon, but did not elaborate.

Asked if they have already pinpointed the location of the kidnappers, Adan remained evasive: "The public will be informed in due time."

Adan hinted at the complexity of the search operations by saying they had to comb at least 34 islands around Basilan province and 37 around Sulu, both strongholds of the Muslim fundamentalist group in Mindanao.

"Any of these islands may be used as sanctuaries by these kidnappers, so we are looking for them there," Adan told reporters.

"It takes time... it takes manpower... it takes aircraft, ships to verify this. That’s why we are calling on all citizens to help the government, to help the military and the police in providing information (about the whereabouts of the abductors and the captives)," he said.

He pointed out that the operations against the Abu Sayyaf may entail bloodshed. "This operation is not risk-free. There will be casualties, but we will avoid harm to the hostages."

He also revealed that Manila and Washington have opened talks on possible cooperation in the search and rescue operations for the hostages.

Adan said the military refused to believe the Abu Sayyaf’s claim that they had divided the hostages into two groups of 10 people each and were taken separately to Basilan and Sulu.

Villagers have reported seeing the kidnappers and the hostages in Jolo, Sulu where the Abu Sayyaf enjoys mass support from the predominantly Muslim population. The reports have not been confirmed.

What appeared certain was that the hostages were taken to Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi, an isolated island midway between Palawan and Sulu which are separated by a 480-kilometer expanse of sea.

Pursuing troops have reportedly recovered in the island, also known as Mapun, an Olympus camera and an ATM (automated teller machine) card belonging to the hostages.

Senior Superintendent Akmad Omar, police director of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, asserted that the kidnappers and hostages arrived at about 9 a.m. Monday aboard two speedboats in Panglima Estino town.

Omar said the captives were immediately herded to Sitio Gulangan Luppoh in Barangay Jinggan of the same town by the 24-strong bandits led by Hernafi Sahibul and Albadir Parad.

In his report to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Leandro Mendoza, Omar said elements of the local police have looked into the veracity of the report.

Jolo police director Chief Superintendent Candido Casimiro has also said local villagers have claimed having spotted the hostages in Sulu.

Adan said they were still checking the police reports. "We are not denying that they are in Jolo, but we are verifying the claim that they are in Jolo," he clarified.

"There are no indication that they are in Jolo or Basilan. They could be in some remote islands," he added.

Sayyaf escape boat conks out

Adan hinted at the possibility that the Abu Sayyaf bandits and their hostages were still holed out in the Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi island group by saying one of their speedboats stalled after running out of fuel.

This prompted them to hijack a fishing boat manned by five men, but two of them jumped overboard and reported the incident to authorities. The rest remained with the kidnappers.

The military spokesman also said a naval blockade on Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi, situated some 200 nautical miles southwest of Palawan, has not been lifted.

"Our forces are still operating in the area. There is a naval blockade there," Adan said.

He added that the troops were scouring over a hundred islets in the area.

At least nine military aircraft were mobilized for the search and rescue operations, with more attack helicopters and reconnaissance planes on standby in a military base in Palawan.

An Air Force officer said the pilots were under instructions to strictly observe the rules of engagement when the target has been sighted.

This means that when a suspected seacraft is seen, the plane would make a fly-by. If the vessel reacts in a hostile manner, it should be disabled.

The source said in the Abu Sayyaf case, a special rule may be adopted because of the presence of the kidnap victims.

He revealed that the pilots were instructed by a top officer of the Armed Forces’ Southern Command to fire at the enemy on sight.

Meanwhile, Vice President and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teofisto Guingona Jr. said he would ask foreign embassies to dissuade their journalists from going to Mindanao or Palawan to cover the hostage drama.

"We have to learn from experience. The media people, with all their good intentions, become the victims of these bandits, who are emboldened by the publicity they are getting," Guingona said.

The Abu Sayyaf also rounded up 21 mostly foreign guests from a diving resort in Sipadan island in Malaysia during an Easter Sunday raid last year.

The victims were taken by boat across the sea border to Jolo, Sulu where local and foreign journalists covering the event were also captured and released upon payment of ransom.

For its part, the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) urged its member-networks to avoid allowing themselves to be used for propaganda by the Abu Sayyaf.

In a circular signed by KBP chairman Joselito Yabut, the radio and television networks were also asked to reject live on-air interviews with leaders of the bandits "when dictated by responsible journalism."

"Invitations for on-site coverage by armed extremist groups should be turned down, except then the government is a participant in the event.

Responding to the KBP’s call, a Zamboanga radio station which had aired interviews with the Abu Sayyaf said it would no longer take calls from the bandits.

In another development, relatives of the Filipino hostages have given the government the go-signal to conduct a military assault against the Abu Sayyaf kidnappers.

Adan said the victims’ families met with top military officials Tuesday afternoon at Camp Aguinaldo where they expressed support for the Arroyo’s administration’s hardline stance against the terrorists.

"They trust the government on what to do to effect the rescue of their relatives," Adan said.

Also present during the closed-door meeting were Justice Secretary Hernando Perez, Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon and representatives from the health and social welfare and development departments.

Perez said the victims’ relatives also vowed not to pay any ransom to the kidnappers.

Meanwhile, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina Jr. ordered all local government units nationwide to strengthen implementation of the integrated security plans in their respective localities.

Lina said the scheme was the best deterrent against crime, particularly kidnapping.

"The Pearl Farm and Dos Palmas incidents should serve as a warning to all of us that we may have overlooked certain loopholes in our security plans, so we should do something about them," Lina said. — Christina Mendez, Aurea Calica, Rey Arquiza, Perseus Echeminada, Roel Pareño, Edith Regalado.