Kidnapped Zamboanga City trader freed in Basilan Island

A photo released to the regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner, by Basilan provincial deputy governor Al Rasheed Sakalahul shows freed Zamboanga City trader Vicente Barrios shortly after his freedom Saturday, August 21, 2010. With Barrios are Basilan provincial deputy governor Al Rasheed Sakalahul (left) and Basilan military chief Brigadier General Eugenio Clemen. (Mindanao Examiner)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 22, 2010) – Kidnappers free an elderly local trader after two months in captivity in the southern Philippines, officials said Sunday.

Officials said Vicente Barrios, who was kidnapped while traveling at sea in Zamboanga City, was released late Saturday afternoon in the village of Bohe Mangal in Sumisip town in Basilan, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.

“He is so weak and frail and could hardly walk, but the good thing here is that Vicente Barrios was freed unharmed,” said Al Rasheed Sakalahul, the provincial deputy governor.

He said villagers contacted him late Saturday to say that an old man was spotted near the riverbank of Bohe Mangal. “They told me the old man could not speak our dialect and that he is so weak, so I sent my nephew to see who this man was, and the poor man told my nephew that he is Vicente Barrios and we secured him right away,” Sakalahul said.

Sakalahul said the Barrios, bearded and frail, was alone when found by villagers. “He was only carrying a cane and his name, date of his kidnapping and a name of his captor a certain Commander Alex were engraved in that old cane,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and officials would not say if ransom was paid by the old man’s family to the gang, but the kidnappers had demanded at least five million pesos in the past in exchange for Barrios’ freedom.

Police said Barrios, whose family maintains fish cages off Zamboanga City, was abducted by gunmen after he was intercepted at sea.

The abduction occurred a day after police commandos, backed by soldiers killed one of three gunmen tagged as behind the April 4 kidnapping of Swiss-Filipino Charlie Reith, 72, in Zamboanga City. Reith was also freed weeks later after private negotiators allegedly paid ransom to the kidnappers.

Kidnappings-for-ransom in Zamboanga City were not uncommon. Many foreigners and wealthy traders had been kidnapped in the past and released after their family paid huge ransom. (With a report from Jung Francisco)

MILF rescues kidnapped college vice president in Basilan province

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / December 25, 2009) – Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels have rescued a kidnapped college vice president and handed him over to government people in the southern Filipino province of Basilan, officials said Friday.

The rebels, who are currently negotiating peace with Manila, handed over Orlando Fajardo, the vice president of the Basilan State College, to the provincial deputy governor Al Rasheed Sakalahul, who heads the crisis management committee negotiating for the safe release of the hostage.

“The MILF secure the release of Mr. Fajardo and handed him over to me. There was no ransom paid and the release was made possible through the help of the MILF,” Sakalahul told the independent newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Fajardo, who was kidnapped December 10 from his home in Isabela City, was released on Mount Cubong near Lamitan City late Thursday, ending two weeks of captivity.

Sakalahul gave no further details about the rescue of the hostage, but said the MILF unit which rescued Fajardo was headed by Abas Salong. He said Fajardo was reunited with his family just in time for Christmas. “We are happy this crisis is over,” he said.

Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said Salong is a member of the group’s cease-fire committee and the ad-hoc joint action group. “We have been helping the government secure the release of kidnapped victims through the ad-hoc joint action group,” he said.

Manila and the MILF forged an agreement in 2004 that paved the way for rebel forces through the ad-hoc joint action group to help government hunt down terrorists and criminal elements in areas where the rebel group is actively operating.

The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, previously helped in rescuing many Filipino and foreign kidnapped victims in the restive region of Mindanao. It also provided the Philippine government with a list of names of suspected Jemaah Islamiya militants hiding in Mindanao.

And in July, for the second time in seven years, the MILF ordered its 12,000-strong mujahideen to fight kidnapping-for-ransom activities in Mindanao.

It also ordered rebel forces to arrest and take drastic actions against kidnappers in areas where the MILF is actively operating. The order was signed by Ghazali Jaafar, the MILF’s vice chairman for political affairs. (Mindanao Examiner)

Security forces kill escaped prisoner in Basilan

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / December 14, 2009) – Philippine security forces on Monday shot dead a prisoner and captured another as the hunt continues for dozens of gunmen and prisoners who escaped from a jail in Basilan province.

Basilan deputy governor Al Rasheed Sakalahul said 31 prisoners, many of them Abu Sayyaf militants and two senior rebel leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, escaped December 13 after more than a hundred gunmen raided the jail in the capital city of Isabela.

“One prisoner was killed in a clash and another is captured and the hunt continues until all those who escaped are recaptured,” he said, adding, the clash occurred in the village called Maligui in Isabela City.

Sakalahul said Abu Sayyaf militants and Moro rebels staged the daring raid, breaking a hole in the prison walls and killing a jail guard before overpowering the three other guards and springing the prisoners. One of the attackers was also killed in an ensuing firefight that wounded another jail guard, he said.

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

“One of those who escaped is our commander Dan Asnawi who is being accused by the military as involved in the beheading of the soldiers in Basilan. Asnawi was never involved in the beheading and he probably joined those who escaped from the prison because he is being implicated in a crime he did not commit,” Eid Kabalu, a spokesman for the MILF, which is currently negotiating peace with Manila, said in a separate interview.

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.

“Many of those who escaped are Abu Sayyaf members,” Kabalu said, adding, his group is willing to cooperate with the authorities in the investigation into the jailbreak.

Basilan jail warden Jul Sali said the lack of government support to help improve the prison facility could be blamed for the escape of the inmates. “We lack vehicles and weapons and we need more guards. We need more support to beef up the security of the prison,” he said.

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)

Troops, cops rescue 2 kidnapped fishermen in Southern Philippines

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 16, 2009) – Security forces rescued two abducted fishermen after a firefight Thursday with suspected Moro rebels in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, south of Zamboanga City, the military said.

The two - Ronnie Nabi and Renante Saquien – were rescued in Akbar town after policemen, backed by soldiers stormed the village of Semut and clashed with gunmen, believed to be members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Other reports blamed the abductions to the Abu Sayyaf and pirates.

“The fishermen are okay and they were brought to the Western Mindanao Command (in Zamboanga City) for medical examination and debriefing,” Army First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a regional military spokeswoman, said.

The fishermen were abducted off Basilan in March after gunmen attacked their trawler and killed three of its crew, said Basilan deputy governor Al Rasheed Sakalahul. “It is good this is over,” he said.

Senior Superintendent Salik Macapantar, the chief of staff of the police in the Muslim autonomous region, said the victims were rescued after security forces tracked down the kidnappers and eventually clashed with them.

“We have finally recovered the fishermen. There were no reports of casualties in the fighting, but the operation is going on to track down the kidnappers,” said.

Attacks on trawlers and fishermen are not uncommon at sea around Basilan because rebel groups such as the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf are actively operating in the province, just several nautical miles south of Zamboanga City.

In January, Abu Sayyaf gunmen intercepted a small boat carrying state teachers off Zamboanga City and seized the trio and brought them by boat to Basilan and freed in May after private negotiators allegedly paid huge ransoms for their liberty. (Mindanao Examiner)

Kidnappers free Filipino hostage in Basilan province

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Homemade bomb detonated in Basilan province

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 21, 2009) – Security forces have detonated Tuesday a powerful explosive left near the Provincial Capitol in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, officials said.

Provincial deputy governor Al-Rasheed Sakalahul said the bomb was found by civilians at an abandoned house in Isabela City and was immediately detonated. “It was powerful alright. They can use the bomb to attack civilian targets,” he said.

No individual or group claimed ownership of the explosive, but Sakalahul said terrorists could be planning an attack later in the day.

Early this month, suspected Abu Sayyaf also detonated a bomb planted on a street pole near the Provincial Capitol that killed two people and wounded eight others.

Last December, a grenade attack in the same area left 17 people wounded and police and military blamed it to the Abu Sayyaf, a small band of militants blamed for the country's worst terrorist attacks.

The group is still holding three teachers, a lending firm collector and a Sri Lankan peace advocate in Basilan. Another Abu Sayyaf faction is also holding a kidnapped Italian Red Cross worker Eugenio Vagni in Sulu province. (Mindanao Examiner)

Six hostages recovered in Basilan Island

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Two killed, 8 wounded in new Basilan blast

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 03, 2009) – At least two people were killed and eight others wounded in an explosion late Friday at a public square in Basilan province in the southern Philippines, officials said.

The blast occurred at around 8 p.m. in Isabela City.

“Initial reports said two people were killed and eight wounded. The explosion was near a power line which caused a blackout in the area,” First Lt. Steffani Cacho, a regional army spokeswoman, told the Mindanao Examiner.

She gave no other details about the blast or whether it was caused by a grenade or an improvised explosive device.

Basilan deputy governor Al Rashid Sakalahul said a woman and man were killed in the powerful explosion at the Plaza Rizal near the Provincial Capitol Building.

“We still don’t know who was behind the explosion, but we condemn this attack,” he said, adding, he ordered additional police patrol and checkpoints in Isabela City.

No group or individual claimed responsibility for the latest attack. Last December, more than a dozen people were also injured in an Abu Sayyaf grenade attack in the same area.

The Abu Sayyaf group has been linked to the spate of kidnappings and bomb attacks in the Philippines and is labeled a terrorist organization by both Manila and Washington, and is believed by the US to have links with the al-Qaeda terror network and Jemaah Islamiya.

The terrorist group is still holding eight kidnapped people, including a Swiss and Italian aid workers, a Sri Lankan peace advocate, a Chinese national and Filipinos in Basilan and Sulu province. (Mindanao Examiner)

Pirates hijack trawler, kill 3 crewmen off Basilan Island

ISABELA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 7, 2009) – Pirates attacked a trawler, killed three of its crew and took hostage two more off Basilan island in the southern Philippines, officials said on Saturday.

“We condemn this attack and the authorities are now searching for those taken by pirates,” Al Rasheed Sakkalahul, Basilan’s deputy governor, told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said the attack occurred late Thursday. Quoting police reports, he said pirates opened fire of the fishing boat and boarded the vessel and killed three crewmen.

“We don’t know whether the two hostage are still alive or not,” Sakkalahul said.

Sakkalahul said authorities recovered the trawler, but it was apparently emptied and stripped off of important parts. He said he ordered maritime police and the marines to intensify patrols at sea following the pirate attack.

No group claimed responsibility for the hijacking, but the attacks on trawlers and fishermen are not uncommon at sea around Basilan because rebel groups such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf are actively operating in the province, just several nautical miles south of Zamboanga City.

Breakaway MILF and Abu Sayyaf factions, including former rebels from the Moro National Liberation Front, and criminal gangs are also operating in Basilan.

In January, Abu Sayyaf gunmen intercepted a small boat carrying state teachers off Zamboanga City and seized the trio and brought them by boat to Basilan. (Mindanao Examiner)

Troops rescue kidnapped boy in Basilan province

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 17, 2009) – Security forces rescued Tuesday a seven-year old boy hours after two gunmen kidnapped him in the southern Philippine province of Basilan.

Al Rasheed Sakkalahul, the provincial vice governor, said soldiers clashed with the gunmen and rescued the boy, Alson Porticos, in the village of Tinog in Lamitan City.

Gunmen snatched Porticos, son of a banker, at around 12 noon while on his way to school near their house in Sunrise village in Isabela City.

The victim was on a motorbike with his sister Shalinnete Porticos and driver Alejandro Porticos when two armed men stopped them on a highway. The boy's sister managed to escape and told his father about the kidnapping.

"The quick response of the authorities led to the rescue of the boy and the arrest of the kidnappers," Sakkalahul told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said one of the kidnappers was wounded in the clash and captured by soldiers and policemen. The other, he said, escaped, but is being hunted down by the soldiers.

Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces in Western Mindanao, said security forces have intensified its patrol in Basilan and that soldiers and policemen put checkpoints in key areas in the province.

“Military and police have intensified security operations in Basilan and the rescue of the boy proved that security forces are ready to respond to the problems of lawlessness in the province,” he said.

Abu Sayyaf militants are still holding a nine-year old boy, Chester Gruta; a lending firm employee, Leah Patris; three government teachers - Freires Quizon, Janette delos Reyes and Rafael Mayorada, and Sri Lankan peace activist Umar Jaleel.

The secluded Basilan Governor Jum Akbar has declared an all-out war against kidnappers in the province. (Mindanao Examiner)

Defense Chief, Umaani Ng Suporta Sa Mindanao

Defense Chief Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 17, 2009) – Lumalakas ang ugong sa hanay ng mga sundalo at kilalang mga pulitiko sa Mindanao na humihikayat at susuporta diumano kay Defense chief Gilberto Teodoro Jr upang sumabak sa pagka-Pangulo ng bansa sa susunod na halalan.

Kinumpirma rin ng ilang matataas na opisyal ng militar ang malaking suporta ng mga tropa sa Mindanao kay Teodoro dahil sa malinis na record nito sa Department of National Defense at sa mataas na respeto sa kanya ng publiko.

Ayaw naman magpabanggit ng pangalan ang mga opisyal ng militar na susuporta kay Teodoro kung tatakbo ito sa pagka-Pangulo at baka masabihan umanong namumulitika.

"Talagang mataas ang aming respeto kay SND at talagang susuportahan namin siya if ever na mag-desisyon itong tumakbo bilang Presidente ng ating bansa sa susunod na eleksyon. Maganda ang pagdadala niya sa Department of National Defense at malaki ang respeto sa kaniya ng buong hukbo ng Sandatahang Lakas," ani ng isang opisyal ng army sa Mindanao.

Ito rin ang pahayag ng mga sundalong nakapanayam ng Abante at kung sakaling sumabak umano si Teodoro sa eleksyon ay sasabihan rin umano nila ang kanilang mga pamilya at kamag-anakang suportahan ito.

"Mabait si Secretary Teodoro at talagang makamasa at mararamdamanam mo talagang concerned siya sa welfare ng mga sundalo," wika pa ng isang sarhento.

Maging ang mga pulitiko ay pulos papuri rin ang maririnig ukol kay Teodoro, na madalas Makita sa mga lugar sa Mindanao na may mga kalamidad o preblema sa peace and order.

Aktibo rin ito sa mga ibat-ibang proyekto at programa ng Department of National Defense at mga ibang mahahalagang bagay na ipinaguutos ni Pangulong Gloria Arroyo.

Naunang na rin sinabi noon ni Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan na si Teodoro ay isa sa talagang mabaiit at masipag na miyembro ng Gabinete ni Arroyo.

"Mabait talaga iyan si Secretary Teodoro at nakikita naman ng lahat sa Sulu kung paano niya pinahahalagahan ang ating lalawigan. Kung ako ang tatanungin at talagang magiging magaling na Pangulo si Secretary Gilberto Teodoro kung ito ay tatakbo sa susunod na elekyon," wika pa ni Tan sa isang maiksing panayam.

Madalas rin nagtungo sa Sulu si Teodoro upang tumulong sa peace and development efforts ng pamahalaan sa nasabing lalawigan.

Inamin rin ni Tan na malaki ang tagasunod ni Teodoro sa Sulu dahil sa pagiging maka-masa nito at katalinuhan. "Wala tayong ibang masasabi kay Secretary Teodoro dahil nasa kanya ng lahat ang magagandang katangian ng isang tunay na lider," dagdag pa ni Tan.

Sa Basilan ay malaki rin kay Teodoro, ayon kay Vice Gov. Al-Rashid Sakalahul.

"Talagang mabaiit iyan si Secretary Gilbert at malaki rin ang naitulong niya sa Basilan at kung tatakbo siyang Presidente ay tiyak na mananalo iyan," wika pa ni Sakalahul, na dating sundalo bago naging Vice Governor ng Basilan. Target ni Sakalahul ngayon ang maging congressman sa nasabing lalawigan.

Kamakalawa lamang ay bumisita si Teodoro sa Misamis Oriental, Sulu at Zamboanga City upang personal na alamin ang sinapit ng mga sibilyan na apektado ng baha at iba pang mga kalamidad.

"Talagang cowboy si Secretary Teodoro," sambit naman ni Chief Supt. Angelo Sunglao, ang Western Mindanao Police chief, matapos na makipagkita kay Teodoro nuong Biyernes sa Zamboanga City.

Ito rin ang narinig kay Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, hepe ng Western Mindanao Command sa Zamboanga City.

Nagtapos ng Bachelor of Science (Commerce - Management of Financial Institutions) si Teodoro sa De la Salle University sa Maynila nuong 1984 at Bachelor of Laws sa University of the Philippines nuong 1989 at kumuha ito ng Master of Laws sa tanyag ng Harvard Law School at nagtapos sa taong 1997.

Bar top notcher rin si Teodoro nuong 1989 at pumasa rin sa New York State Bar exams nuong 1997.

Ilang beses rin nahalal si Teodro bilang Congressman sa Unang distrito sa Tarlac. Si Teodoro ay nagiisang anak nina Gilberto C. Teodoro, Sr, ang dating Social Security System administrator at Mercedes Cojuangco, dating miyembro ng Batasang Pambansa. Bata pa lamang si Teodoro ay napasabak na ito sa pulitika ng mahalal bilang president ng Kabataang Barangay at nanungkulan mula 1980 hanggang 1985, at KB Federation of Central Luzon. Nahalal rin ito sa Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

Si Teodoro ay may ranggong colonel sa Reserve Force ng Philippine Air Force at adopted son ng Philippine Military Academy "Magilas" Class of 1976 at honorary member ng Philippine Air Force Class of 1980 at Association of Chiefs of Police, Inc. Siya rin ang chairman ng board of trustees ng Philippine National Police Foundation.

Makulay ang nakaraan ni Teodoro na minsan ay nanilbihang bilang lecturer sa National Defense College at regular assistant professor naman sa General Command and Staff Course ng Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Ang hindi alam ng karamihan ay isang lisensyadong piloto rin si Teodoro na kumuha ng kanyang Command and Staff Course class sa Philippine Air Force sa ilalim ng Air Education and Training Command of the Air Command and Staff College ng ito ay nasa Kongreso pa. (Mindanao Examiner)

Kidnappers free nursing student in Basilan island

The parents of freed nursing student Joed Anthony Pilangga during a news conference with other families of kidnapped victims on Friday, Nov. 7, 2008 in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 24, 2008) – Kidnappers freed late Wednesday a Filipino nursing student after more than two months in captivity in the southern Philippine island of Basilan, officials said.

Officials said Joed Pilangga, 17, was released in the town of Al-Barka at around 9 p.m. “He is okay and with me right now. We will hand over Joed Pilangga to the police and military authorities tomorrow,” the island’s deputy governor Al Rasheed Sakalahul told the radio network RMN-Radyo Agong in Zamboanga City.

Sakalahul did not say how much ransom was paid for Pilangga’s freedom, but the kidnappers had previously demanded P20 million ransoms in exchange for his safe release.

The politician said the hostage was released to his emissaries after a series of negotiations.

Pilangga was kidnapped Oct. 17 in Zamboanga City and brought to Basilan island.

Authorities have tagged the Abu Sayyaf as behind the kidnapping. The group is still holding a nine-year old girl, who was kidnapped Nov. 26 in Basilan’s Lamitan City and demanded P4 million for her freedom.

Pilangga said his captors had repeatedly threatened to kill him if they did not get the ransom. “I was really scared. They threatened to kill me if they did not get what they wanted,” he said.

He said the kidnappers fed him fish, vegetables and noodles during his 68-day ordeal in the hinterlands of Basilan. “I am so excited to see my family. I want to see them and be with them,” he said.

Pilangga briefly spoke with his mother Lucy after the radio network contacted his family in Zamboanga City. “Mum, I am okay. Wait for me tomorrow and I am coming home,” he said.

Early this month, gunmen also kidnapped seven construction workers in Basilan, but freed all of them a week later after Lamitan City Mayor Roderick Furigay negotiated for their release.

Gunmen seized the seven workers after stopping a lorry near Tuburan town on December 1. Authorities initially blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in the kidnappings, but apparently it was carried out by a small criminal gang wanted to get ransom, other sources said.

Two more people were people were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen on December 2 near Maluso town also in Basilan island, but they had been freed three days later, said Sakalahul.

Military offensive since early this month have targeted the Abu Sayyaf, but the larger rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, had been dragged into the skirmishes after it accused government troops of attacking its positions on the island.

In retaliation, the rebels launched a series of attacks against government forces, sparking sporadic, but fierce fighting killing five marines and wounding two dozen soldiers in Al-Barka town.

The military accused the MILF of coddling Abu Sayyaf terrorists and vowed to step up the operation against the militants.

More than a dozen people had been kidnapped by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants headed by Puruji Indama and Nur Hassan Jamiri in recent months and most of them had been freed in exchange for huge ransoms.

Locals blamed the police and military authorities in Basilan, one of six provinces under the Muslim autonomous region, for their failure to secure the safety of the civilians. (Mindanao Examiner)

Humanitarian crisis looms in Basilan island

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 3, 2008) – A humanitarian crisis is looming in the southern Philippine island of Basilan, where security forces are battling Moro rebels and Abu Sayyaf militants.

Thousands of civilians had been affected by military operations and sporadic clashes between rebels and soldiers, according to Basilan deputy governor Al Rasheed Sakalahul, acting head of the provincial crisis management committee.

“We have so many people who are now affected by the hostilities in Basilan. We need food aid to feed the hungry, those displaced by the fighting,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said many of those affected by the skirmishes are from the towns of Maluso, Tipo-Tipo, Al-Barka and Ungkaya Pukan, although there were also reports of refugees in Tuburan town.

Basilan governor Jum Akbar could not be reached to comment about the worsening situation on the island, south of Zamboanga City. Local officials said Akbar was often out of Basilan and spends most of her time either in Zamboanga City or Manila.

Government troops launched operations last week to flush out Abu Sayyaf militants, blamed for the spate of kidnappings-for-ransom in Basilan.

Nine people had been kidnapped in Basilan since early this week by either the Abu Sayyaf or rebels from the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Gunmen are still holding two other hostages - Joed Pilangga, a nursing student kidnapped Oct. 17 in Zamboanga City, and Nicole Raveche, seized Nov. 26 in Lamitan City.

Abu Sayyaf kidnappers, headed by Puruji Indama and Nur Hassan Jamiri, have demanded P20 million ransoms from Pilangga’ family and P6 million for Raveche’s freedom.

Two government militias were also injured in MILF attack on a military post near Ungkaya Pukan town. And Sakalahul said rebels also seized at least five automatic weapons from another group of militias in a recent attack in Maluso town.

Marine Col. Rustico Guererro said MILF rebels were attacking soldiers pursuing the Abu Sayyaf, sparking sporadic clashes on the island. He accused the MILF of violating a fragile truce it signed with the military in 2001 after President Gloria Arroyo opened up peace talks with the rebels.

Guererro accused the MILF of sheltering Abu Sayyaf militants. “They have been coddling the Abu Sayyaf,” he said, an accusation the MILF strongly denied.

“They are just using the Abu Sayyaf as an escape goat to justify attacks on the MILF forces in Basilan,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader.

More than a dozen people had been kidnapped the past four months by Abu Sayyaf militants in Basilan, including two Filipino aid workers, and most of them had been freed in exchange for huge ransoms. Locals blamed the police and military authorities in Basilan, one of six provinces under the Muslim autonomous region, for its failure to secure the safety of the civilians. (Mindanao Examiner)