MANILA, Philippines – Three people – one of them a 14-year-old boy – were snatched by Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Basilan on Sunday morning.
Basilan police director Senior Superintendent Salik Macapantar said Ronillo Ando, 38, his son, 14, and Wilma Magno were taken at gunpoint while traveling on a passenger jeepney in Barangay Baas in Lamitan town at about 7:30 a.m.
The kidnappers fled with their victims toward Tuburan town, also in Basilan, he added.
Alton Angeles, Tipo-Tipo, Basilan information officer said the Abu Sayyaf has threatened to kidnap Christians if they do not convert to Islam, and businessmen if they do not pay the so-called Islamic tax.
“The open letter also (called on) Christians to convert to Islam and pay taxes due to Islam,” he said.
The letter was signed by Abu Sayyaf commanders Nurhasan Jamiri and Puruji Indama, Angeles said.
More than 24 hours earlier, police and Marines rescued two sub-contractors of Globe Telecom from the Abu Sayyaf’s clutches in Tuburan, Basilan Friday night.
‘Threats not alarming’
Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro Antonio Ledesma has urged Basilan Bishop Martin Jumoad to bring his concern about the threat to Catholics in his province before the Bishops-Ulama Conference of which he is a member.
“This will not be alarming if we also get the backing of the religious leaders, they would also make sure that the violence would not continue,” he said.
“I think these local extortions in other parts of Mindanao should really be stopped so there should be a concerted effort... This is really a community concern and they have to talk and bring it to the proper authorities.”
Jumoad’s complaints against police and military officials in the area must also be raised before the conference, he added.
Ledesma advised Jumoad to hold dialogues with Muslim communities because the threat is only initiated by a small extremist group.
A majority of Muslims also aspire for peace in their communities, he added.
CBCPNews, the official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said a Muslim professor has condemned the reported threat to Catholics in Basilan.
“Religious freedom is the rule of Islam and Muslims and must not deviate from the true teachings of Islam,” professor Tajah Basman, president of the Philippine Islamic Council, was quoted as saying.
Ledesma said it is not the first time that priests and Catholic residents of Mindanao have been threatened with kidnapping and extortion.
“These (threats of kidnapping) sometimes happen, but (the threats do) not only come from Muslim minority groups but also from extortionists of other bandit groups,” he said. – Wih Evelyn Macairan