‘Sayyaf allowed R-II to escape after ransom p

Witnesses presented by Lamitan parish priest Cirilo Nacorda to a joint Senate hearing claimed yesterday that a ranking military officer had bundles of money before the "escape" of business executive Reghis Romero last June 2, that Romero was "allowed to escape by the Abu Sayyaf after payment of ransom," and that there was a military withdrawal before Romero’s "escape."

A woman witness from Lamitan, Basilan told a joint Senate hearing yesterday that she personally saw bundles of P1,000 bills in a black attache case held by an aide of Brig. Gen. Romeo Dominguez shortly before the controversial escape of Romero, a kidnap victim of the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf.

Dominguez, however, denied the charge, saying video footage taken by ABS-CBN during the said incident showed that he was carrying a bag and a not an attache case.

He said that no military man would be carrying an attache case to a battle zone. He said that the money was meant to help doctors treat wounded soldiers at the Lamitan hospital.

Fe Sanchez Castro, a nurse at the Jose Ma. Torres Hospital in Lamitan where the Abu Sayyaf and their hostages sought refuge, said that she was behind Dominguez’s aide when the latter opened a black attache case, took out five P1,000 bills and placed them in a white envelope.

Castro said the attache case was filled with bundles of P1,000 bills. She also said that their hospital chief received the P5,000.

"After a while, Reghis Romero and his companion escaped," Castro said.

Dr. Julius Caesar Aguila admitted receiving the P5,000 from the aide, who said it came from General Dominguez. He said that the bills were newly minted, as if they had just been withdrawn from a bank.

He said he thanked Dominguez for the assistance, which he used to buy medicines for wounded soldiers.

Other witnesses, including some former hostages of the Abu Sayyaf, testified that Romero and his woman companion were allowed to leave the Dr. Torres hospital and did not actually escape.

Corazon Tropa, whose husband was confined at the hospital when the Abu Sayyaf took over the facility, said that the hostages from Dos Palmas and those from Lamitan were placed in three rooms.

She said that in her room, she heard two persons conversing in Tagalog, with one complaining that they had already paid P3 million but they were not released yet. She added that in a while Abu Sabaya, a leader of the Abu Sayyaf, came in and said: "Reghis, Reghis, labas na kayo diyan. Sabihin ninyo na nakatakas kayo. Dalhin ninyo ang bata (Reghis, Reghis, you can come out now. Say you have escaped. Take the child with you). The boy turned out to be another captive, nine-year-old RJ Recio.

Tropa said that Romero was wearing only a pajama bottom.

Salbina Fontillas, resident of a house about 60 meters away from the hospital, claimed that she saw Romero walk out of the hospital in a leisurely manner.

She said that her father remarked that Romero must be a rich man and that he had already paid the ransom.

She said that Romero appeared relaxed at first, but ran when there was a burst of gunfire.

She also said that about 12 soldiers positioned themselves inside her house but they pulled out at about 11 a.m. after somebody shouted that they were going to have a briefing.

Danilo Bentoy and Ernesto Democrito, two civilians who fought it out with the Abu Sayyaf, also said that there was a pullout of the military before the escape of Romero.

Bentoy told the senators that had the Scout Rangers not pulled out, more than 12 hostages would have been rescued and the Abu Sayyaf would not have escaped. He pointed out that when his group engaged the escaping Abu Sayyaf in a gun battle, the latter detoured to where the Scout Rangers were positioned.

A local resident who volunteered to guide Capt. Ruben Guinolbay of the 142nd Scout Ranger company, also spoke of the misadventure of the military in fighting the Abu Sayyaf.

Jaime de la Cruz said that the Scout Rangers were not all armed, and that the handgun given him by Guinolbay had only three bullets, that a helicopter hit a house that subsequently went up in flames instead of an Abu Sayyaf sniper on a water tank, and that the soldiers could not run after the escaping Abu Sayyaf because their Simba had a flat tire.

At the same time, however, De la Cruz, Bentoy and Democrito all spoke glowingly of the fighting heart of Gumalbay. Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said that the military should take cognizance of the valor shown by Gumalbay in the Lamitan incident.

"While we are ready to denounce any military misdeeds, we are also ready to commend those who are performing exceptionally well," Pimentel said. – With Roel Pareño