EDITORIAL - Collusion

Several years ago, at the height of the kidnapping spree staged by Abu Sayyaf bandits led by Ghalib Andang in Sulu, the nation wondered whether certain local authorities were in collusion with the bandits. Andang, a.k.a. Commander Robot, and his band survived by sharing the fruits of kidnapping with some local residents, paying them to serve as lookouts, obtain food and other supplies, and even to guard hostages. The speculation at the time was that Andang also shared a big chunk of ransom payments — amounting to more than $30 million in his biggest caper — with certain government officials.

That speculation has persisted in other kidnapping cases in Sulu and neighboring Basilan. In June last year, police indicted the mayor of Indanan town, Alvarez Isnaji, and his son Haider for the kidnapping of abs-cbn broadcaster Ces Drilon and her news crew in Sulu.

Now a hostage who has managed to regain her freedom from the Abu Sayyaf has further reinforced perceptions of local authorities’ involvement in criminal activities in Sulu and Basilan. The Department of the Interior and Local Government has announced that certain policemen and barangay officials are under investigation for their role in the kidnapping of three volunteers of the International Committee of the Red Cross. This information was given by one of the ICRC workers, Mary Jean Lacaba, who walked to freedom last Thursday as government forces surrounded the Abu Sayyaf kidnappers.

Poverty breeds banditry and terrorism, and terrorism deters development and worsens poverty. Banditry, though profitable for its perpetrators, also sinks communities deeper into the mire of poverty. Stopping this cycle requires effective local governance and law enforcement. But if local authorities themselves are involved in criminal activities or harbor terrorists, security and development efforts will never be sustained. In ridding a province of the kidnapping scourge, the entire community must be enlisted in the battle. And all the rotten public servants who are in collusion with kidnappers must be tossed out.