‘No haven for Sayyaf terrorists in Metro’

Metro Manila is not a safe haven for Abu Sayyaf terrorists.

This was the assurance given by Metro Manila police chief Deputy Director Genaral Reynaldo Velasco amid reports that remnants of the Abu Sayyaf are now in the metropolis posing as workers.

The report was confirmed following the arrest Monday of Samir Hakim, 43, alias Husim Samil, allegedly the Abu Sayyaf’s logistics officer, in Intramuros, Manila by combined elements of the military and police intelligence operatives.

Velasco said there is no cause for alarm over reports that some Abu Sayyaf members are roaming Metro Manila, though he urged the public to remain vigilant.

The Metro Manila police chief directed the Regional Intelligence Group (RIG) to coordinate with the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) to validate this report and hunt the Abu Sayyaf bandits down once they are identified and located. "We will arrest and hunt them down."

President Arroyo has asked Metro Manila residents, including those from Muslim communities in Quiapo, to act as the government’s "eyes and ears" by reporting the presence of any member of the Abu Sayyaf Group in their areas.

Last Monday, agents of the Military Intelligence Group (MIG), ISAFP, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) and the Western Police District (WPD) arrested Hakim, who is a cousin and right-hand man of slain Abu Sayyaf commander Abduralahrajak Janjalani.

Hakim was involved in the kidnapping of 21 tourists from the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan, the kidnapping of Claret School pupils and teachers in Tumahubong, Sumisip, Basilan and the abduction of Filipino nurse Ediborah Yap in St. Peter Hospital in Lamitan, Basilan. Hakim carries a P150,000 bounty.

According to Velasco, intelligence reports indicate Hakim used another identity and worked as a security guard of the Ablaza pawnshop in Divisoria, Manila.

Velasco said the Metro Manila police has been continuously conducting surveillance operations against suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits and members of other Muslim extremist groups who are taking refuge in the metropolis.

He said the "target hardening’ operations and enhanced security detail are not merely in line with the continuing anti-terrorism campaign of the government, they are also meant to reduce the number of street crimes in Metro Manila.

"The arrest of these Abu Sayyaf members and other Muslim extremist groups will be conducted even in the far flung areas (of) Metro Manila by virtue of warrants of arrest to be secured in various courts," Velasco said.

The Metro Manila police also alerted leaders of Muslim communities to police their ranks against Abu Sayyaf members who may try to hide in known Muslim-dominated areas.

Leaders of different Muslim communities in the metropolis have assured Velasco they will assist the police in their campaign against terrorism.

Muslim leaders from Quiapo Islamic Center, Barangay Culiat in Quezon City and the Islamic community in Bicutan, Taguig have pledged to support the anti-terrorism drive.

Velasco has been meeting with the Muslim leaders on a monthly basis. "I am calling on our Muslim leaders to immediately report the sighting of new faces and suspicious-looking characters lurking in their respective communities."

Possible strike?

Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Narciso Abaya said there is a possibility that the Abu Sayyaf may launch an attack in Metro Manila.

"(Terrorists) can strike anywhere, anytime. We must accept that as a reality. To say otherwise would be fooling the people," Abaya said.

However, the presence of the bandits in the metropolis could also indicate that they are having difficulty procuring the firearms they need in Mindanao.

Citing Hakim’s arrest, Abaya pointed out that the arrested bandit is the logistics officer of the Abu Sayyaf — his task is to procure guns for the bandit group and transport them to Mindanao via passenger ships.

Abaya said Hakim’s arrest proves that the Abu Sayyaf is now finding it difficult to obtain guns in Mindanao. He was positively identified by two former Dos Palmas resort kidnaped victims as one of their captors.

While the military is aware of the presence of Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Metro Manila, Abaya declined to say how many bandits are in the metropolis and where they are holed up.

"There are now follow-up operations (to Hakim’s arrest) being conducted. We cannot tell you how many of them are here, but there are quite a number of them," Abaya said.

The military places the number of Abu Sayyaf rebels based in Basilan and Jolo at 200. The Abu Sayyaf has been linked to international terrorist groups, including the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah and Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network.

The military is now hunting down Abu Sayyaf leaders Khadaffy Janjalani, Isnilon Hapilon and Hamsiraji Sali, all of whom carry a P5 million bounty from the Philippine government and a $5 million bounty from the United states government for their arrest. — With Mike Frialde