AFP transforms former ASG ‘lair’ into military reservation

TOP regional military officials led by Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command chief Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr. visited on Monday Sampinit Complex, the former bastion of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Basilan, as the military lays down the groundwork for the conversion of the sprawling forested area into a military reservation.

Corleto, accompanied by Basilan officials led by Gov. Jim Hataman Salliman and Rep. Mujiv Hataman, checked on the status of the 200-hectare lot donated by the Municipality of Sumisip to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The thickly forested Sampinit in Sumisip used to be a fortress and symbol of the ASG’S existence in Basilan for years before it was cleared by the military with years of sustained operations where countless lives from both sides were lost.

During the visit into the former stronghold of the homegrown terror group, Vinluan, whose party also included Sumisip Mayor Jul-adnan Hataman, declared the complex as a “springboard for satanic acts” as it was in the area where most kidnap victims were beheaded in the past after they, or their families, failed to pay ransom money.

Sampinit Complex was the ASG’S stronghold for at least 20 years and where the local terrorist group had held at least 200 of its kidnap victims. It used to be the training site for ASG fighters and other recruits from other islands of Mindanao.

“We want this area to be converted into a military reservation for it to be off-limits to lawless groups and be declared as a peace zone,” the military quoted Gov. Hataman as saying during the visit.

Vinluan also checked the Mahatallang Roundball, the new highway that connect the Mahatallang area to the adjoining Punoh Lumot and Punoh Timugen in Sampinit Complex.

“I am personally elated seeing the fruits of our soldiers’ hard work and dedication,” Vinluan said.

“Their indefatigable service led to the restoration of this sanctuary. Rest assured that we will continue their legacy by eliminating hostility and bringing about the normalcy in the area,” he added.

In Luzon, meanwhile five former New People’s Army rebels surrendered to security forces as a result of a localized peace negotiation in Kalayaan, Laguna over the weekend.

Capt. Jayrald Ternio, spokesman of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, said negotiations took place at bar an gay san Antonio in Kalayaan wherein the former rebels turned over three firearms.

In his report, Brig. Gen. Alex Rillera, commander of the 202nd Infantry Brigade, said the former rebels belong to the NPA’S Sub Regional Military Area, or SRMA 4A and 4C, which operates in the boundaries of Batangas, Cavite, Rizal and Quezon.