EDITORIAL - War of the generals

Fourteen accounted for, just five more to go. Good thing the military recovered the 12 preachers led by Wilde Almeda or the military would be hearing more criticisms of its campaign in Sulu. Now on its third week, the assault is past the deadline set by the commander of Operation Trident, Narciso Abaya, who predicted the end of the hostage crisis within three days to a week. The deadline was a magnet for brickbats as soon as it lapsed with none of the hostages rescued and all the Abu Sayyaf commanders still alive.

Now the two French hostages are back in their country, and Almeda and his followers have been recovered. That leaves one more Filipino, three Malaysians and American Jeffrey Schilling in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf. An elated President Estrada gave General Abaya his second star yesterday and predicted that the end of the hostage crisis is near. Before it ends, he may want to tell his generals to keep their lips sealed. Not Abaya, who has learned the perils of shooting his mouth off, but the heads of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

To be fair, Director General Panfilo Lacson of the PNP has been saying since the start of the hostage crisis that the police could send its men to Sulu for a commando-style rescue. Last week, as the assault appeared to be going nowhere, Lacson expressed his view again. This time, however, it sounded too much as if he was blaming the military, which was the last thing the soldiers needed as they trudged through the jungles of Sulu. Some lawmakers weighed in with him, even suggesting that the PNP take over from the AFP in the task of getting the Abu Sayyaf – a silly idea, since you don’t pull troops in the middle of a battle.

It’s one thing for journalists and politicians to criticize the assault, and quite another for the flak to be coming from the head of the PNP. AFP chief Gen. Angelo Reyes has wisely avoided a word war with Lacson, and both men have denied any rift. But there is a feud, and it isn’t helping the campaign in Sulu. True, the Abu Sayyaf’s high-profile leaders, including Ghalib "Commander Robot" Andang, Abu Ahmad Salayuddi and Mujib Susukan, still haven’t been caught. But they are on the run, losing more "territory" with each passing day. What the AFP must guard against, as it searches for the remaining hostages, is an escape by these terrorists. And what President Estrada can do as he monitors the assault is to tell his generals to shut up.