Agusan del Sur crisis ends; 13 hostages released

PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur, Philippines  – The remaining 13 hostages held by five Manobo gunmen were abandoned and eventually released yesterday morning in the mountainous area of Sitio Balete, about seven kilometers from Barangay La Purisima in this province, according to authorities.

President Aquino, worried about a repeat of last year’s Aug. 23 bungled hostage-taking incident in Manila, hailed the peaceful resolution of the hostage crisis and lauded the efforts of the local crisis management committee (CMC) and other government officials who were instrumental in resolving the issue.

“They (hostage takers) may have succumbed to too much pressure after noticing that the Army rangers and police SWAT teams were coming in to the area where they and the hostages were hiding. Plus the fact that they lack food and water supply,” Manobo tribal leader Tunganay Esmundo Brital told The STAR in a phone interview after learning of the incident.

Brital admitted that he was in constant contact with the hostage takers, who were his cousins. At one time he and some relatives had even thought of going to the area to talk to them.

The CMC, headed by Prosperidad Mayor Alvin Magdamit, confirmed that the remaining hostages were abandoned and had to walk towards Sitio Balete from Sitio Inagawa, where they were originally held.

The rescued hostages were identified as Narciso Oliveros, district supervisor of Prosperidad; Apolonio Alibangbang, Filipina Quitoy, head teacher of La Purisima Elementary School; Arnold Quitoy, teacher; Joel Sausa, district property custodian; Manuel Mordeno, teacher, New Maasin Elementary School; Mary Jane Bedrijo, volunteer pre-school teacher, and Allan Galdiano.

Three civilians – Daldy Rodriguez, Rico Binambang and Galvan Bocales – and a minor were also among those released.

Allan Perez, a relative of the gunmen, was earlier sent to negotiate but was detained by the hostage takers. He escaped unharmed.

CMC spokesman Senior Superintendent Nestor Monton Fajura, who presided over a press conference to present the hostages, said the victims underwent debriefing and were treated in a nearby hospital.

A sigh of relief

“Throughout the ordeal, the safety of the victims was President Aquino’s paramount concern and he is happy to know that they are safe and free,” Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ricky Carandang said.

Carandang thanked everyone who contributed to the peaceful outcome, most notably Gov. Adolf Edward Plaza, Mayor Magdamit, Philippine National Police chief Director General Raul Bacalzo, provincial social welfare officer Josefina Bajade and the local crisis management committee composed of the local PNP, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the National Commission for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP). Aquino said he was happy with the response of the government forces, who stuck to guidelines on how to handle such situations.

“But overall, the cooperation exhibited by Ondo Perez and the workings of both the mayor and the governor in Agusan and then the active intervention of the security forces up to the highest (officials) to include the secretary of interior and local government. So they worked really well for the successful resolution of this conflict,” Aquino said in an ambush interview after the signing of the memorandum of agreement between the Department of Budget and Management and the judges’ associations on the increase in salaries of the judiciary officials.

Perez was in jail and awaiting trial for murder as well as for kidnapping a group of 79 people, including teachers and schoolchildren, in Prosperidad in 2009. He was granted by the court temporary freedom to help in the negotiation with his relatives who demanded his release.

The gunmen, who police said did not understand the country’s legal process, freed three of the hostages on Sunday and Monday and later received assurances from the government that Perez would be tried fairly.

The President, in his speech, thanked the judges for the judiciary’s part in resolving the hostage crisis.

“The judge allowed the one detained (Perez) to be a negotiator and we were able to safely rescue all the hostages. For that, thank you very much,” he said.

Incident investigation and review committee (IIRC) chair and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, on the other hand, said actions taken by the local CMC, especially in terms of limiting media coverage, led to what she described as an “ideal setup.”

“There was partial media blackout. The details of action of CMC were not disclosed until the whole episode was finished. That’s the ideal setup. There are things that the media and the public should not know first,” she told reporters in an ambush interview.

De Lima also cited as an “ideal arrangement” the move of the national crisis committee to back up the local CMC that was dealing with the kidnappers.

She revealed that the President had monitored developments in the hostage crisis since the victims were snatched last Saturday.

She said she is happy that authorities have learned from the hostage-taking incident last year where eight Hong Kong tourists were killed.

Tracking down the suspects

Immediately after the release, combined government forces were dispatched to track down the gunmen who fled under cover of darkness towards the mountains of Sitio Inagawa in Barangay La Purisima.

“Our troops are now pursuing them as we hope to bring them to justice the soonest possible time. Our laws shall be wielded in a manner in which they shall be fully made accountable for their crime,” said Army Maj. Eugenio Julio Osias IV, spokesman of the 4th Infantry Division and commander of the 4th Civil Military Operations (CMO) battalion.

Osias said the military and police operation against the kidnappers is in accordance with the decision made by the provincial and municipal CMC.

“We already know where the abductors are going but we cannot discuss operational details,” Caraga PNP regional director Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Rafal said.

DepEd: No letup for teachers

Meanwhile, Education Secretary Armin Luistro, while elated over the successful negotiations for the safe release of the hostages, still called for law enforcement agencies and local government units to improve the level of protection they extend to schools, whether public or private, in their respective communities.

Department of Education (DepEd) Agusan del Sur Schools Division Superintendent Rosita Taala gave assurance that they will continue to send teachers to the hinterlands, despite the incident.

“This is good news not just for DepEd but for the whole nation, our teachers and the families of those who were held captive. We laud the efforts of the local CMC for the safe and unconditional release of all the hostages,” Luistro said in a statement.

He also expressed gratitude to Taala, Regional Director Gloria Benigno and the rest of the local DepEd team for not giving up.

Luistro also said he is hopeful that teachers will be spared from such criminal activities in the future.

“We hope and believe that these groups will find in their hearts the nobility of the role that education workers perform in nation-building. Harming them will only do more harm to the efforts to uplift the quality of education in conflict areas for the future of their children and the country,” said Luistro.

“The safety of our schools should not be left to DepEd alone but should be an effort of the whole community. We hope this incident will remind us that we need to work together – school and community – to provide our teachers and our children a safe and secure learning environment,” he said. – With Aurea Calica, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Edu Punay, Jaime Laude, Perseus Echeminada, Rainier Allan Ronda, Sandy Araneta, Rose Tamayo-Tesoro