Military leaflets rain over Basilan Province

Two military choppers dropped some 14,000 leaflets Thursday, December 17, 2009 over six towns in the southern Basilan province urging citizens to help authorities recapture 28 Abu Sayyaf terrorists and Moro rebels who bolted jail last week. Soldiers, led by Lieutenant Colonel Gamal Hayudini, commander of the military's Civil Relations Group in Western Mindanao, also posted wanted Sayyaf posters in Isabela City in Basilan and authorities have offered as much as ten million pesos reward to anyone who can provide information about the prisoners, who were among 31 that escaped from the provincial jail on December 13. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / December 17, 2009) – Two Philippine military choppers dropped some 14,000 leaflets on Thursday over a large area in Basilan province urging citizens to help authorities recapture 28 Abu Sayyaf terrorists and Moro rebels who bolted jail last week.

Authorities have offered as much as ten million pesos reward to anyone who can provide information about the prisoners, who were among 31 that escaped from the provincial jail on December 13.

Troops had killed one prisoner – an Abu Sayyaf militant – and captured two more this week in Isabela City in Basilan, several nautical miles by boat from Zamboanga City.

Two military choppers dropped leaflets over six towns in Basilan and foot soldiers posted wanted Abu Sayyaf posters around Isabela. “This is part of our campaign to track down terrorists who escaped from jail,” Lieutenant Colonel Gamal Hayudini, commander of the military’s Civil Relations Group in Western Mindanao, told the independent newspaper the Mindanao Examiner.

Hayudini led soldiers in the distribution of leaflets – both written in local dialect and English - in the capital city of Isabela.

The leaflets contained the names of those who bolted prison and their corresponding rewards from P100,000 up to P2 million and phone numbers where citizens can call up authorities and provide information about the prisoners, mostly Abu Sayyaf militants and Moro rebels who are facing a string of murder and kidnapping charges in Basilan.

Security forces clashed with Abu Sayyaf in Basilan on Wednesday leaving three militants and a soldier dead, said Brigadier General Eugene Clemen, commander of military forces in the province.

“The operation against the terrorists is continuing. The hunt for the jail breakers and their rescuers are going on,” he said.

On Tuesday, authorities rewarded P350,000 to a civilian who helped security forces tracked down two prisoners in Isabela City. Philippine Navy regional chief Alexander Pama and Marine Lieutenant General Benjamin Dolorfino handed the reward to the man, his face covered to hide his identity from possible retaliation from the Abu Sayyaf.

One of the prisoners – an Abu Sayyaf militant - was killed after he resisted arrest in the village of Maligue.

Basilan jail warden Julmaril Sali said 17 of those who escaped from prison were Abu Sayyaf militants and 5 are members of the country’s largest Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front – two of them commanders – while the rest were hardened criminals.

The prisoners escaped after more than 100 gunmen stormed the provincial jail in the village of Sumagdang in Isabela City. A jail guard and one of the attackers were killed in the raid.

Authorities said the attack was carried out by the Abu Sayyaf and Moro rebels.

The MILF denied it was involved in the raid, but admitted that one of those who escaped from the jail is a rebel commander, Dan Asnawi, accused by the military of beheading 10 soldiers in a firefight in Basilan.

Police and jail officials said another MILF rebel – Kamsa Limaya - also escaped together with the others, but Kabalu said the prisoner is not their member. Limaya is said to be involved in the July 2007 beheading of the soldiers in the town of Al Barka.

It was the fourth time in five years that prisoners had escaped from the provincial jail. At least 3 Abu Sayyaf prisoners – tagged as behind the beheading of 10 soldiers in Basilan – also escaped in December 2008 from the provincial jail after overpowering their guards.

And in July 2007, at least 16 hardened criminals, including four Abu Sayyaf militants, escaped from the prison after destroying the windows of their cell.

In April 2004, at least 53 of the more than 130 prisoners at the provincial jail, including 19 Abu Sayyaf members, also escaped using a smuggled .45-caliber pistol which they used in overpowering the guards. (Mindanao Examiner)

Gunmen raid Basilan prison, rescue Sayyaf terrorists

Police and military heightened security in Basilan province on Sunday, December 13, 2009 after gunmen stormed the provincial jail in the capital city of Isabela and freed 31 mostly Abu Sayyaf militants and Moro rebels. Two people were killed in the attack. (Mindanao Examiner Photo).

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / December 13, 2009) – More than 100 gunmen stormed before dawn Sunday the Basilan provincial jail in the southern Philippines and freed at least 31 hardened criminals, including suspected Abu Sayyaf militants, officials said.

The daring raid on the jail located in the capital city of Isabela left two people dead, the deputy provincial governor Al Rasheed Sakalahul said.

“There is a pursuit operation to get back the escapees. We still don’t know how the gunmen were able to spring out the prisoners. There is an on going investigation,” he told reporters. “I was told that there were more than 100 raiders who came in several vehicles and stormed the jail.”

He said one jail guard and a gunman were killed in an ensuing firefight.

Sakalahul said the gunmen came in several vehicles and raided the jail at around 1.45 a.m. in the village of Sumagdang. “More than half of the inmates in the jail – many of them Abu Sayyaf - had escaped,” he said.

He said many of those who escaped were murderers and suspected Abu Sayyaf militants, whose group is tied to al-Qaeda and behind the spate of terrorism in the southern Philippines.

At least 3 Abu Sayyaf prisoners – tagged as behind the beheading of 10 soldiers in Basilan - escaped in December 2008 from the provincial jail after overpowering their guards.

And in July 2007, at least 16 hardened criminals, including four Abu Sayyaf militants, escaped from the prison after destroying the windows of their cell.

In April 2004, at least 53 of the more than 130 prisoners at the provincial jail, including 19 Abu Sayyaf members, also escaped using a smuggled .45-caliber pistol which they used in overpowering the guards. (With a report from Richard Falcatan)

15 inmates escape from Cotabato jail

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 17, 2009) – Fifteen prisoners facing robbery and murder charges have escaped from a jail in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines, police said Friday.

Policemen, backed by government soldiers, mounted an operation to recapture the prisoners who escaped at around 6.30 p.m. It was unknown how the prisoners escaped, but one report said the jail’s door was left opened.

Police identified those who escaped as Adta Limba, Balong Samad, Datuali Dumato, Datuali Kamaong, Faizal Dumama, Ibrahim Adam, Jailani Kamid, Moktar Kasim, Nasser Kasim, Oting Sanday, Racman Kanakan, Rasul Umbra, Raven Sabpa, Samson Sabpa and Yasser Dalawi.

Authorities appealed on Friday to relatives of the prisoners to convince them to surrender peacefully. It was not immediately known whether the prisoners were able to flee with the jailers’ guns or not. (Geo Solmerano)

12 prisoners escape, police launched massive hunt in South RP

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 14, 2008) – Police launched a massive manhunt against 12 prisoners who escaped from jail in Sulu, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao.

Police said guards had also killed one prisoner while trying to escape from his cell on Tuesday. The 12 prisoners are facing various charges ranging from homicide to murder, said Chief Superintendent Bensali Jabarani, the regional police chief.

“There is an ongoing manhunt against those who escaped from prison. We are appealing to the families and relatives of the prisoners to convince them to surrender peacefully,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

Jabarani said the prisoners escaped by digging a tunnel inside their cell. “They secretly dug this tunnel and covered it with carpets that they used in praying. The escape was uncovered after the guards conducted a headcount on Tuesday morning,” he said.

It was unknown how the prisoners were able to dig the underground passage, but Jabarani said authorities are investigating the jail break. He said among those who bolted jail was an Abu Sayyaf militant, who is facing kidnapping charges in Sulu.

Jabarani said three people, all Muslims, were also abducted near the town of Parang. “We have reports that the abduction was connected to a family feud. We are still investigating this case,” he said.

He did not say when the trio was seized, but claimed the victims were abducted inside a passenger vehicle by gunmen.

Abu Sayyaf militants are still holding a kidnapped a Chinese trader, Xili Wu alias Peter Go, in Sulu since last month. Four militants seized the 28-year old Wu, from Fujian province, as he was closing his electronics store in Jolo town on December 13.

Police said Wu, along with five other Chinese men, arrived in Jolo in December 2007 and since then operated the Perlas Trading.

Authorities tagged the Abu Sayyaf group as behind the spate of kidnappings and bomb attacks across Mindanao. The Abu Sayyaf, which means "The Bearer of the Sword," has been labeled a terrorist organization by both Manila and Washington, and is believed by the US to have links with the al-Qaeda terror network. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sayyaf militants bolt Basilan jail

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 24, 2008) - Three Abu Sayyaf prisoners escaped from the provincial jail Wednesday after overpowering their guards in the southern Filipino island of Basilan, officials said.

Police forces backed by marine soldiers were sent to hunt down the three militants, who were all implicated in the beheading of 10 soldiers in firefight in Basilan’s Al-Barka town in July last year.

“There is an ongoing operation to recapture those who escaped from the jail,” said Lt. Steffani Cacho, a military spokeswoman.

The prisoners were outside their cells at around 9.45 a.m. when they grabbed the weapons of two guards and overpowered them.

It was not the first time that prisoners escaped from the provincial jail in Isabela City’s Sumagdang village.

In July last year, at least 16 hardened criminals, including four Abu Sayyaf militants, escaped from the prison after destroying the windows of their cell.

In April 2004, at least 53 prisoners, among them 19 Abu Sayyaf members, escaped from the provincial jail after a visitor smuggled a gun used in overpowering three guards. Eight of the escapees were killed and nine recaptured by responding soldiers and policemen. (Mindanao Examiner)

Two More Escaped Prisoners In South RP Recaptured

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 20, 2008) – Police recaptured two more prisoners who escaped from a jail in the southern Filipino city of Davao, officials said Monday.

Policemen have recaptured three of the four prisoners who escaped early Sunday in Santa Ana police jail. The four - Marvin Masra, Carlo Acompanado, Quinito Bunsa and Rolando Ariola - escaped after sawing off their cell’s window grill while two of their guards were out of the police station.

Only Masra remains at large, police said, adding, the three prisoners were recaptured separately, one of them Acompanado, was tracked down in Panabo City in nearby province of Davao del Norte.

The four escaped criminals had been charged with robbery, frustrated murder and illegal possession of firearms.

Two jail guards - Police Officer 1 Archie Celis and Police Officer 2 Rolito Valles - are being investigated for the escape of the prisoners. The officers risk being suspended or discharge from the service if they are found guilty of negligence of duty that led to the escape of the prisoners. (Romy Bwaga)

Four Prisoners Bolt Police Jail In Davao City

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 19, 2008) – Four criminals bolted jail in the southern Philippines early Sunday and authorities mounted an operation to recapture the prisoners, police said.

Police said the four - Marvin Masra, Carlo Acompanado, Quinito Bunsa and Rolando Ariola escaped after destroying their cell’s window grill in Santa Ana police station in Davao City.

Acompanado was reportedly recaptured in Panabo City in the neighboring province of Davao del Norte later in the day.

The four escaped criminals had been charged with robbery, frustrated murder and illegal possession of firearms. Two jail guards - Police Officer 1 Archie Celis and Police Officer 2 Rolito Valles - are being investigated for the escape of the prisoners.

Initial investigations said the guards were not in the police station when the prisoners made their escape. (Romy Bwaga)

7 Prisoners Escape From Zamboanga Jail

IPIL, Philippines – Seven inmates facing various criminal charges from robbery to rape have escaped from a provincial prison in the southern Philippines, police said Friday.

Police said the jailbreak occurred late Thursday in the town of Manukan in Zamboanga del Norte province. Several prison guards have been suspended from their duty because of the escape.

The prisoners bolted out from their cell after destroying its window grills. Police and jail officials said there is an ongoing investigation into the escape.

Police have mounted a manhunt in the town and appealed to relatives to convince the escapees, if they return home, to surrender peacefully. (Mindanao Examiner)

Troops Capture 3 Prisoners Who Escaped Jail In South RP

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 10 Feb) – Army troops captured Saturday three prisoners who escaped from a prison facility in North Cotabato province, south of the Philippines, as security forces continued searching for more than three dozen other jail breakers.

The prisoners escaped Feb. 2 after gunmen raided the facility. Authorities said among those who bolted from jail were several suspected terrorists, one of them an Abu Sayyaf militant, linked to October bombings in North Cotabato that killed eight people.

“We captured three of them, who are facing murder charges. We are still trying to determine if they are also involved in the bombings,” said Army Col. Pedro Soria.

The trio had been captured near Kabacan town in North Cotabato. Other reports said two other prisoners had been killed in a firefight with soldiers.

The area was also site of Thursday clashes between the troops and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels. Many of those who bolted jail were hiding in areas where the MILF is actively operating, making it more difficult for the hunters to purse the escapees.

North Cotabato governor Emmanuel Pinol has given a shoot-to-kill order on top of a P20,000 bounties for each of the prisoners. But his order drew criticisms from human rights and militant groups.

Pinol insisted the jail raiders were members of the MILF. The rebel group, which is currently negotiating peace with Manila, denied the accusation and also criticized Pinol for his shoot-to-kill order.

Police and military said the gunmen were members of the dreaded kidnap syndicate called Pentagon Gang.

Many of those who escaped were suspects in various crimes and had not been convicted yet.
Rebel leaders fear that security forces may intrude into their bases and trigger more clashes.

The MILF said it is willing to help the police and military in the hunt for prisoners. “We are willing to help the authorities hunt down the prisoners if the Philippine government seeks our help,” Eid Kabalu, a rebel spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.

The MILF signed a truce with the government in 2001, but despite the cease-fire sporadic clashes still continue in some areas in the south. (Mindanao Examiner)

Mindanao Gov Criticized Over Shoot-To-Kill Order vs Escaped Prisoners

SULTAN KUDARAT (Mindanao Examiner / 09 Feb) – North Cotabato governor Emmanuel Pinol continues to draw criticisms over his “shoot-to-kill” order on about 4 dozen prisoners who escaped from a provincial jail.

The prisoners escaped Feb. 2 after gunmen raided the facility. Authorities said among those who bolted from jail were several suspected terrorists, one of them an Abu Sayyaf militant, linked to October bombings in North Cotabato that killed eight people.

Pinol insisted the raiders were members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and gave a shoot-to-kill order on top of a P20,000 bounties for each of the prisoners. The MILF denied the accusations and criticized Pinol for his shoot-to-kill order.

The military said the gunmen were members of the dreaded kidnap syndicate called Pentagon Gang.

“Pinol should have let the families of these prisoners or religious groups negotiate first for their surrender rather than issuing a shoot-to-kill order. The prisoners are running for their live instead of surrendering peacefully.”

“It was an irresponsible decision, being the head of the local crisis committee, because Pinol should have exerted efforts to convince the prisoners to surrender peacefully,” said Hussin Abdullah, a passenger jeep driver.

Many of those who escaped were suspects in various crimes and had not been convicted yet.

Troops were also helping the police track down the prisoners. But the hunt could be more difficult because the areas where the prisoners are believed to hiding are also strongholds of the MILF, which is currently negotiating peace with Manila.

Rebel leaders fear that security forces may intrude into their bases that can spark fighting between MILF gunmen and government soldiers.

The MILF said it is willing to help the police and military in the hunt for prisoners. “We are willing to help the authorities hunt down the prisoners if the Philippine government seeks our help,” Eid Kabalu, a rebel spokesman, told the Mindanao Examiner.

The MILF signed a truce with the government in 2001, but despite the cease-fire sporadic clashes still continue in some areas in the south. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Suspected Mindanao Bombers

Police released photos of three men linked to October bombings in the southern Philippines. The trio,along with over 40 other prisoners, escaped from the North Cotabato provincial jail after gunmen stormed the facility before dawn Friday, 02 Feb 2007. Security forces mounted a massive manhunt to recapture the prisoners, described as dangerous. Provincial officials offered P20,000 reward for each of prisoners captured dead or alive. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)