Abu in Tubigon?
BAREFOOT STRANGER ASKING FOR FOOD
Tubigon is a coastal town beside Clarin in Bohol, whose peace was disrupted by the arrival of members of the Abu Sayyaf Group on Easter Sunday (see map on the left). The stranger who came knocking on a farmer’s door had asked for food, slippers and directions for Tagbilaran City and Cebu.
A suspicious-looking man who spoke Tagalog was spotted in a village in Barangay Buenos Aires, Tubigon, Bohol last Wednesday afternoon.
Capt. Jojo Mascariñas, the Philippine Army 302 Brigade's spokesperson, said a farmer reported to police that the man asked him for food and a pair of slippers.
The farmer gave him his slippers and walked home barefoot.
“Nagpakuha pa gyod og lubi. Mikatkat pa gyod ang pobreng mag-uuma sa lubi. Gipainom niya og lubi, milagsik kuno og kalit (The farmer also gave the man some coconut water to drink),” he said in a phone interview.
Authorities are verifying if the man is Ubayda, one of the three remaining Abu Sayyafs, who are on the run since their encounter with government troops in Inabanga, Bohol last April 11.
The farmer, who met the man past 1 p.m., reported the matter to police past 4 p.m.
The unarmed man asked for directions to Tagbilaran City and Cebu. Tubigon has a port and is an hour away from Cebu City port by sea.
Tubigon is next to Clarin, where the second clash between the terrorists and government troops happened last April 22.
The suspected Abu Sayyaf member then headed inland, avoiding the national highway.
“Sa lasang ra gihapon miagi (He went through the forest),” Mascariñas said.
The military official said the three remaining Abu Sayyaf members are still in Bohol, but they've been separated.
He asked the public to report any suspicious-looking men, admitting that finding the bandits will be difficult.
Mistaken identity
Mascariñas also asked the public to report any loss of clothes to police, saying bandits may have stolen some after taken off their old shirts.
He also suggested not to feed strangers and report them right away.
In Toledo City, Cebu, a man believed to be mentally ill was mistaken to be an Abu Sayyaf member yesterday morning.
Eight suspected Abu Sayyaf members were killed in the clashes in Inabanga and Clarin, including the group's guide—the Napo, Inabanga native Joselito Melloria.
In a related development, Supt. Maria Christina Nobleza and her husband, alleged Abu Sayyaf bomb expert Renierlo Dongon, reportedly tried to flee from Bohol before they were taken into custody in Clarin last April 22.
Nobleza reportedly booked tickets for herself, Dongon and two others. She reserved a suite room in a boat bound for Cagayan de Oro City from Jagna, Bohol on April 23.
The shipping line's trip and passenger records show that a certain Anthony “Tony” Yusop, identified as Melloria's contacts, took a trip to Cagayan de Oro City last April 21, ABS-CBN News reported.
Jagna, Bohol Police Station Chief Hernan Legaspi said text messages in Melloria's cellular phone showed that the Abu Sayyaf contacted Yusop.
Police Regional Office 7 Director Noli Taliño said they received information about Nobleza's scheduled trip and it is included in their investigation.