‘We really tried our best’

MANILA, Philippines - President Duterte yesterday apologized to Germany for failing to rescue Juergen Gustav Kantner, saying the Philippine government had tried its best to rescue the German who was beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf last Sunday.

“I would like to say something to the family and to the government, that we really tried our best. We have been there, the military operation has been going on for some time already, but we have failed, and so that has to be admitted,” Duterte said.  

“I am very sorry that the hostage, a national of your country, has been beheaded. I sympathize with the family, I commiserate with the German people,” he told reporters in an interview at Malacañang.

Duterte stressed the government, through the military, exerted all efforts to prevent the beheading of Kantner without paying ransom.

“I said we tried. There’s a massive operation going on and as I have just announced to you, we are beginning to use air assets,” he said.

“There’s nothing wrong in admitting a failure but it’s a matter of policy that we do not surrender to the demands of paying ransom,” he added.

Malacañang condemned the execution of Kantner and vowed to curb the threat of the Abu Sayyaf.

“The Palace condemns this despicable crime and the President has bound himself in principle that these groups (should be) neutralized,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said.

“We reiterate our deepest condolences to the German people and to the family of Mr. Kantner, and not only do we empathize but we sympathize with them. However, I’m sure the President’s commitment is to ensure that these things will be addressed and curtailed in the soonest possible manner,” he added.

Abella said Duterte was “deeply affected” by the beheading.

Jesus Dureza, presidential adviser on the peace process, said officials had exhausted all efforts to save Kantner, 70, who was held by the Abu Sayyaf in Jolo for three months.

“We grieve as we strongly condemn the barbaric beheading of yet another kidnap victim,” Dureza said in a statement.

“There must be a stop to this killing of the innocent and the helpless,” Dureza said as he made no mention of the ransom demand.

Kantner and his companion Sabine Merz were taken captive in November while sailing on a 53-foot yacht near Sabah, eastern Malaysia, and brought to Jolo. Merz was shot dead when she tried to resist the militants.

‘We were that close’

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) pledged in a separate statement to bring Kantner’s killers to justice and continue operations to free other hostages held by Abu Sayyaf.

The AFP has deployed thousands of troops in the Abu Sayyaf strongholds of Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Jolo islands, but despite air and ground offensives, the piracy and kidnappings of the group continue unabated.

The bandits are entrenched in local communities, complicating operations by a military wary of incurring civilian casualties.

AFP chief Gen. Eduardo Año said the troops were close to rescuing Kantner and other hostages were it not for the firefight that broke out with the Abu Sayyaf gunmen.

Año said the troops were working on an intelligence report that located Kantner and his captors in a remote village in Indanan, Sulu a day before the beheading.

Año said the German captive was immediately spirited out of the area by gunmen led by Abu Rami, while the rest of bandits led by Radulan Sahiron engaged government troops in a firefight.

“At the height of the fighting he (Kantner) was there,” he said.

“He was spirited out of Sahiron’s camp. You know in the forest it’s very easy to hide a person with six Abu Sayyaf. There’s no 100 percent success in (intelligence and operations) but we have been focusing on the large group of Sahiron,” Año said.

Año was responding to questions on how effective was the military intelligence set up against the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu as it now appeared that the bandits were a step ahead in evading the military.

The Abu Sayyaf are currently holding more than 30 foreign and local hostages in Sulu and Basilan, including 13 Vietnamese, seven Filipinos, a Dutch national, a Japanese, two Indonesians and two Malaysians.

“We sympathize with the family of Mr. Kantner because unfortunately he was beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf. But of course this would make our troops even more committed to pursue these perpetrators in order to bring them to justice,” Año said.

Col. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of Joint Task Force Sulu (JTFS), said troops are continuing the search to locate the remains of Kantner.

Local officials are coordinating with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in the search, he said.

Reports of Kantner’s execution emerged on Sunday evening, but the AFP only confirmed the killing on Monday, a day after the deadline for the P30-million ransom had expired.

The Abu Sayyaf purportedly uploaded a video of Kantner’s beheading which was circulated on the internet by SITE Intelligence Group, a website that monitors the activities of jihadists around the world.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) appealed to the public not to circulate the gruesome video.

“We earnestly appeal to netizens, internet subscribers and mobile phone users to refrain from propagating the video clip of Mr. Kantner’s murder,” PNP spokesman Senior Supt. Dionardo Carlos said.

Carlos said reposting the video of Kantner’s brutal execution would bring more anguish to the victim’s relatives and friends.

“He rightfully deserves human dignity even in such gruesome death, while his family and friends deserve respect in this time of grief,” Carlos said.  – Jaime Laude, Roel Pareño, Emmanuel Tupas, Reuters