Hector Janjalani gets life term for kidnapping

MANILA, Philippines — The brother of slain Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani was found guilty by the Pasig City regional trial court (RTC) of the kidnapping of 52 teachers and school children 18 years ago.

A Pasig City court sentensed Abu Sayyaf leader Hector Janjalani to life in prison the kidnapping of the teachers and school children in Basilan in 2000.

In a 391-page decision promulgated yesterday inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City where Janjalani is serving sentence for other crimes, Pasig City RTC branch 261 found the surviving leader of the bandits guilty beyond reasonable doubt of 18 counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention.

RTC Branch 261Judge Florian Gregory Abalajon sentenced Janjalani and another Abu Sayyaf member Daud Baru, alias Dad Daim, to life in prison.

The court found Baru guilty of 52 counts of the same offenses.

They were ordered to jointly pay each of the victims P75,000 as moral damages and P30,000 as exemplary damages.

Abdulazan Diamla, alias Abdul Hassan Yacob Djamla, was acquitted of the same charges.

Abalajon released his ruling weeks after he found 66 other Abu Sayyaf members guilty of kidnapping teachers and students from two schools in Tumahubong, Sumisip, in Basilan on March 20, 2000.

Janjalani, Baru and Diamla were among the 66 persons convicted earlier, but their names were redacted until the promugation of the case at the New Blibid Prison in Muntinlupa where Hector was detained.

Hector was captured by government forces in December 2000.

In the charge sheet, the trio were identified as “ranking officers of the Abu Sayyaf group who abducted teachers and school children in Tumahubong and Sumisip and held them captive in a house in Puno Mahadji in Sampinit mountain,” located at the tri-boundary of Sumisip, Maluso ang Isabela towns.

Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong led the prosecution team of the Department of Justice that handled the cases, which stemmed from the abduction of 52 teachers and students on March 20, 2000 in Basilan.

Among those originally charged were Abu Sayyaf leaders Khadaffy Janjalani, Aldam Tilao alias Abu Ahmad Sabaya, Isnilon Hapilon and Hector Janjalani.             – With Edu Punay