Military to unmask group negotiating Abu ransom

Military officials are ready to unmask the people negotiating with the Abu Sayyaf for the payment of a P50-million ransom for the freedom of American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham.

Basilan Gov. Wahab Akbar said yesterday civilian and military authorities are tightly watching the movements of the unidentified group.

"The military wants to make sure that the money will not reach the Abu Sayyaf," he told radio station dzBB.

Akbar said military officials have intensified intelligence operations to unmask the group so its members can be arrested before they can deliver the ransom.

He said government agents will seize any money intended as ransom payment for the Burnhams and Filipina nurse Deborah Yap.

"I am making the warning to pre-empt any payment of ransom," he said. "We already have an idea who are behind the negotiations but their identities cannot be revealed yet."

Akbar said he has raised the alarm on the secret negotiations to prevent the payment of ransom which might encourage other criminal gangs to cash in on the kidnapping spree.

Rumors about the payment of ransom for the Burnhams have been circulating in Basilan and investigation showed there could be some truth to the rumors, he said.

As government troops gear up to rescue the Burnhams, the United States government delivered yesterday hundreds of firearms, including high-powered sniper rifles, to the Army.

American officials also handed over eight Huey helicopters and five military trucks plus funds to upgrade them for the poorly equipped Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Army commander Lt. Gen. Jaime de los Santos told reporters he would immediately send the firearms and trucks to Mindanao for use in fighting the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan.

In Zamboanga City, two helicopters and an aircraft are reportedly on standby, awaiting orders to fly out American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnhan from the Basilan jungle once advancing government troops rescue them from the Abu Sayyaf.

Army Col. Hermogenes Esperon, commander of Task Group Thunder, told reporters in Central Sampinit yesterday transport planes are awaiting orders to pick up the Burnhams but that he does not know where they are located.

"If they will be rescued, a plane is ready to transfer (them) but I am not aware when it will arrive,’ he said.

Reports said an American Lear jet landed Tuesday at Edwin Andrews Air Base in Zamboanga City but later immediately took off for an unknown destination.

Two US helicopters capable of long-range flying have also been placed on standby somewhere in Mindanao, reports added.

However, military officials here would neither confirm nor deny the presence of the US helicopters at Edwin Andrews Air Base, or any other air base or air field in other parts of Mindanao.

The arms and equipment — including mortars and grenade launchers — are part of military assistance package promised by US President George W. Bush when President Arroyo visited Washington last October.

US Charge’ d’Affaires John Caulfield told reporters the donation was just "the first delivery of over $1 million" worth of military hardware.

Caufield said the delivery of the military equipment signaled closer cooperation between the Philippines and the US following the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on New York and Washington.

"We are on a new era of cooperation in the global war against terrorism," he said.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Jose Mabanta said the arms are meant to reciprocate Mrs. Arroyo’s swift and outspoken support for the US operations against Osama bin Laden and the Taliban in Afghanistan.

"This is just the start of a series of equipment coming from the US and there is more coming next year," he said.

Esperon said troops continue to scour the jungle in Central Sampinit in search of the Burnhams and Filipina nurse Deborah Yap, assuring that they would be safely rescued.

"The (danger) factor is there," he said. "Their lives might be endangered due to the ongoing offensive. However, that is what we are careful of."

Esperon said the three remaining hostages are heavily-guarded that their lives could be endangered when troops storm the Abu Sayyaf’s jungle hideout.

"All the units running after the bandits have a dedicated rescue team to get the hostages once there will an encounter," he said.

Esperon said around 50 Abu Sayyaf bandits are tightly guarding the Burnhams and Yap to block any attempt by the military to rescue them.

"We are very optimistic with our deployment of troops and their condition (to hatch) the rescue," he said. "They cannot go far from us." — With reports from Roel Pareño, Paolo Romero