MANILA, Philippines – A town mayor of Sulu and his son will be charged with the kidnapping of ABS-CBN anchor Ces Drilon and her two cameramen before the Sulu Regional Trial Court.
Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño has approved the resolution of the Anti-Kidnapping for Ransom Task Force prosecutors led by City Prosecutor Emilie Fe de los Santos finding Indanan Mayor Alvarez Isnaji and his son Haider to have been involved in the kidnapping of Drilon, Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama in Sulu last June 8.
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez has sent the charge sheet against the Isnajis via special courier to Sulu for filing in court.
The case will be filed in Sulu because the kidnapping took place in that province, he added.
Gonzalez said the Isnajis must be charged in court within 48 hours because they have a pending habeas corpus petition before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.
“They might be released for habeas corpus, but it will not exonerate them,” he said. “But if they will be released, there is the possibility that they will become scarce.”
After the Isnajis are charged before a Sulu court, the DOJ might move that the trial be transferred to another venue, considering that the Isnajis exert some influence in the province, Gonzalez said.
Drilon identifies kidnapper
In Sulu, two teenagers have been arrested by the military for the kidnapping of Drilon and her two cameramen.
Drilon said she was able to identify one of the arrested suspects as her captor during the 10 days they were held in the jungles of Sulu.
“The CIDG will just make me sign documents attesting to the identity of the suspects,” she said. “I remember all their faces.”
Marine Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban Task Force Comet commander, said suspects Nadzmir Amirul alias Abu Kudama, 18, and his 14-year old companion, whose identity was withheld, were arrested while traveling on a motorcycle towards Jolo.
“The capture is still an early success against the kidnappers,” he said.
Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo, Philippine Marines spokesman, said the suspects, aged 14 and 18, were detained at a Marine checkpoint in Patikul, Sulu, on Friday.
Military intelligence agents identified the teenagers as among the armed group that seized Drilon and her companions in Jolo on June 8, he added.
The hostages secretly filmed their captors during their nine-day ordeal, providing the authorities invaluable evidence, Arevalo said.
Sabban said the troops in Sulu will continue to keep a close watch on the rest of the kidnappers and the Abu Sayyaf.
“This recent achievement undoubtedly demonstrates that our troops are up to the task of bringing the kidnappers to justice,” he said.
“This is an explicit warning to them that they cannot freely escape from the whip of the law.”
Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, Armed Forces public affairs chief, said information gathered from Amirul and the 14 year-old boy during tactical interrogation would be useful in capturing their cohorts.
“There will be some information that we can get from these people, even from the minor or from the adult that was arrested, we can get valuable information which will lead us to the other suspects,” he said.
Torres said they have yet to extract information from the two suspects whether they actually belong to the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf.
“We know their names, we have strong reason to believe that they are involved in the Ces Drilon kidnapping, but as to their affiliation with any terrorist (group) we have not validated yet,” he said.
Troops are hunting down 12 other suspects in the kidnapping of Drilon, Encarnacion and Valderama, Torres said.
‘Wrong signal’
Meanwhile, Joventino Diamante, lead counsel of the Isnajis, said the indictment of his clients “sends a wrong signal” that it is criminal to try to help a damsel in distress.
“It also does not speak well of the high ranking government officials who gave the Isnajis every encouragement to take on the role of negotiator and even prevailed upon them to stay on when they wanted to back out,” he said.
“When Ces Drilon and company were released, they basked in reflected glory. Now that the Isnajis are in hot water, they have abandoned them.”
Diamante said the statements of Drilon, Valderama and Encarnacion did not implicate the Isnajis.
“Still we look up to the courts for the full vindication of the Isnajis and the full effectuation of their rights guaranteed by the Constitution,” he said.
“But the Isnajis were never warned that they were already suspects during the debriefing. Neither were they apprised of their right to counsel and that anything they said will be taken against them.” – With Roel Pareño, James Mananghaya, Cecille Suerte Felipe