‘Cottage industry’ of Abu Sayyaf

For the second time in a row, President Rodrigo Duterte had to make a public apology involving foreign nationals killed one after the other while they were here in the Philippines. President Duterte apologized in behalf of the Filipino people and the government.

President Duterte first issued formal apology to the family and the government of South Korea for the death of Jee Ick-Joo. The South Korean national was abducted last month in Pampanga and later killed by rogue cops right inside Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Last Tuesday, President Duterte made another apology, this time to the family, government and people of Germany for the kidnap-slay of Juergen Gustav Kantner. The German national was beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf bandits after their P30 million ransom demand was not met. Kantner, 70, was held by the Abus in Jolo for more than three months. He and his woman companion Sabine Merz were seized by the bandits from their 53-foot yacht while sailing near Sabah in eastern Malaysia. Merz was shot dead when she tried to resist the bandits.

Duterte issued the public apology when Palace reporters sought his message about the latest Abu atrocity. “We really tried our best. We have been there, the military operation has been going on for some time already but we have failed,” the President frankly admitted.

The President made it clear the Philippine government did not surrender its “no ransom” policy because it would only enable the Abus to grow in number. Much earlier, the former Davao City Mayor revealed they have confirmed reports the Abus have been trying to associate themselves with the Islamic State (IS) extremists, an international terror group also known for beheading their hostage victims while taping it in video and uploading it on social media.

The beheading of Kantner was the first one since the administration of President Duterte. Before this latest incident, Canadian nationals John Ridsdel and Robert Hall were beheaded by the Abus in April and June last year, respectively.

In making these apologies, President Duterte had to do this also in the names of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) also in his capacity as their commander-in-chief. The latest presidential apology came a day after he convened at Malacanang a command conference with the top brass of the AFP, PNP and Cabinet officials involved in national security, peace and order matters.

Given the limited resources of the Philippines, President Duterte disclosed, he sounded out China to help patrol the international waters along Malaysia and Indonesia. Many piracy incidents and Abu Sayyaf abductions have been taking place in these overlapping waters in the southern region of the Philippines. So far, China has not responded yet to this request.

It was very unfortunate but highly statesman of President Duterte to make such apology one after the other to these foreign governments.

To the officers and men of the AFP, the President’s gesture served to heighten their resolve to gather support of all Filipinos to help the military and the civilian government put an end to the Abu Sayyaf’s reign of terror in the country, Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, the official spokesman of the AFP, declared.

To build up capacity to protect the seas from these bandits and pirates who use high-speed boats, Padilla announced the Philippine Navy will have this May its second Sealift vessel that was built in Indonesia. Padilla said the Navy’s latest ship asset is capable of loading troops and heavy equipment not only for military operations but also for disaster rescue and relief activities. It has three helipads and could take two more helicopters below deck and fast speedboats, he said.

The first Sealift vessel of the Navy was delivered early last year during the administration of former president Benigno “Noy” Aquino. Hence, it was named BRP Tarlac, as in

Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas in honor of Mr. Aquino’s home province. The second one to be delivered under the Duterte administration naturally will be christened as BRP Davao del Sur, obviously in honor of President Duterte’s province.

Gen. Padilla cited a bit of history in trying to underscore the need for cooperation of neighboring countries like China, Indonesia and Malaysia to interdict these modernday pirates doing the same kind of barbaric acts.

By way of trivia, Gen. Padilla recalled how the Philippines got to own an island off Mindanao without mentioning the name of the island for obvious reasons. The King of Brunei Darussalam gave this island (referring to Sabah) to the Sultan of Sulu as a reward in going after marauding pirates who also beheaded their victims, he quipped. He reported to us during our weekly Kapihan sa Manila

Bay at Cafe Adriatico in Malate there are still 31 hostages in captivity by the kidnap bandits held in their various lairs around their stronghold areas in Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-tawi, or collectively called as BaSulTa. Still being held hostages include 12 Vietnamese; seven Indonesians; five Malaysians; six Filipinos; and one Dutch national.

According to him, the AFP no longer include in their hostage count Japanese national Mukayama Mamaito who was kidnapped in July 2010 while in Sulu but who stays up to now with the Abus. The Japanese national has become their “cook,” based from intelligence reports the AFP gathered. “That’s why the Abus now enjoy eating sashimi, sushi,” he wisecracked.

Levity aside, he explained, it turned out the Japanese national has no family or relatives from whom the Abus can demand ransom. But obviously, the hostage victim is now a case of “Stockholm syndrome,” or the hostage victim has been brainwashed into believing the cause of his or her captors.

Although diminished in numbers, the 500 or so ragtag bandits, Gen. Padilla, however, conceded the Abu Sayyaf group continues to remain among major threat groups in the country. They have turned their kidnap-for-ransom criminal activity as a “cottage industry” in the BaSulTa areas where they can freely move around.

With so much money they have amassed from their kidnap-for-ransom activities, the Abus have not only acquired high-powered firearms but have also been buying the loyalty of the local folks. This is why, Padilla pointed out, the military could not keep pin down the bandits moving around with their hostages.

Thus, Gen.Padilla echoed AFP’s support to President Duterte’s economic programs to bring development in Mindanao to put an end to this “cottage industry” of the Abu Sayyaf.

It was very unfortunate but highly statesman of President Duterte to make such apology one after the other to these foreign governments.