With remnant rebels ‘separated’: Abu search gets tough

CEBU, Philippines - As the number of Abu Sayyaf bandits believed to be still on the loose in Bohol dwindles, it is also becoming harder for authorities to track them down.

This, as the Armed Forces of the Philippines believes that the rebels, whose number is now down to three from the original 11, may have already parted ways to increase their chances of survival.

“Patuloy pa po ang pursuit natin sa natitirang mga ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group) members. Contained po sila and it’s just a matter of time na mahuhuli natin sila kung tulong-tulong tayo.  We can’t do this on our own lalo pa na naghiwalay sila – yung individuals na hinahanap natin – kaya mas mahirap,” Captain Jojo Mascariñas, spokesperson of 302nd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army, told The FREEMAN over the phone yesterday.

Still, authorities continue to scour the hilly portions of the adjacent towns of Clarin, Inabanga, and Tubigon in search for three remaining rebels identified by Mascariñas as a certain “Alyas Asis Kaifar Sawadjaan,” a certain “Alyas Um Ammra a.k.a. Alyas Abu Omar,” and a certain “Alyas Ubayda.”

Yesterday, a farmer reported to the police that a suspicious-looking man had been sighted in a village in Tubigon.

The man reportedly asked for food and a pair of slippers from the farmer, as well as directions for Tagbilaran City and Cebu.

Tubigon is located some 10 kilometers away from Clarin where the second clash between ASG and government forces erupted last April 22. It hosts a port that runs daily trips to and from the neighboring island-province of Cebu.

The man left the village at once but did not allegedly take the national highway.

Mascariñas said they tried to validate the report to check if the man was indeed Ubayda, as initially suspected, but the result turned out negative.

“Wala, may mga report na nakita daw, pina-verify natin. Wala pang conclusive (proof). Lahat naman may mga report everywhere,” he said.

He also corrected unverified reports earlier that one of the Abus has managed to escape Bohol supposedly via the shores of Jagna or Tubigon.

“Mali po iyon. Wala pong naka-escape. But may sightings po sa mga boundaries po kung saan may encounter nung April 22 but so far negative. Mga boundaries ng Inabanga, Clarin, and Tubigon. At hindi po ‘escape’ ang correct word, ‘evading government forces at mga communities po,’” said Mascariñas.

Police Regional Office-7 Director Noli Taliño earlier said that the rebels who survived the Inabanga and Clarin encounters were already on “survival mode” with one of them possibly armed.

Yesterday, however, Mascariñas said the lone armed rebel may have already abandoned his firearms to mobilize better and blend with the people much easier.

“Unang report po na may armas yung isa dahil nahihiwalay na sila. Yung belief namin, yung isa, kung sino man ang may hawak nung firearms, itinapon na lang niya ang armas niya. Mahihirapan kasi siya na pumasok sa purok kung may dala pa siyang armas,” Mascariñas said.

He also said that at this point, the three surviving rebels may have gone on their separate ways.

This is the reason why the army has been educating the communities by distributing materials showing photos of the ASG members who have evaded government forces.

“Umiikot kami sa mga barangay, namimigay ng mga flyers po na may mukha ng remaining ASG,” the spokesman said as he urged the public to maintain vigilance and continue reporting to authorities sightings of suspicious-looking individuals.

Diversion?

Meanwhile, the AFP Central Command headquartered in Cebu City yesterday said it is taking reports of Abu Sayyaf sightings in Cebu with a grain of salt because these could just be the rebels’ tactic to divert government’s attention from Bohol.

AFP Centcom public information officer Lt. Col. Luzmindo Mamauag Jr. explained that terrorists, like the Abu Sayyaf in Jolo, Sulu for example, normally have a back-up plot in case their attacks don’t work according to plan.

“Reports can be used as diversion tactics. Sa Mindanao ilang diversion, lain nga activity. Here sa  Visayas, atong efforts sa counter-terrorist intelligence focused man nila. When we made the plan earlier, we always considered katong pinakadelikado, unsay worst-case scenario,” he said.

Mamauag assured that all reports of ASG sightings in Cebu are always validated and treated as serious, although they resulted to be negative everytime.

He said community reports were critical in pinpointing the location of the Abu Sayyaf members in Bohol. He hopes the same could be replicated in other parts of Central Visayas.

“Didto sa Bohol very critical kaayo ang gihatag nga information sa mga tawo. We can do this as well dinhi sa Cebu, as well as other places sa Visayas. In this case, manawagan ta sa mga tawo nga tabangan ta. Ang peace and security is also the concern of everyone,” Mamauag said.

How it came to be

To recall, the Abu Sayyaf party that penetrated into the hinterlands of Inabanga, Bohol was originally composed of 11 people (the police clarified it was not 12).

They arrived there two days after the United States Embassy issued an advisory warning its citizens to review their travel plans in Bohol.

On April 11, the first encounter between government troops and the ASG lasted about 12 hours in the mountainous sitio of Ilaya in Barangay Napo, Inabanga, leaving four Abus killed, including sub-leader Maumar Askali alias Abu Rami. The clash also claimed three soldiers and a policeman.

Eleven days later, another exchange of gunfire ensued in Barangay Bacani in the nearby town of Clarin, resulting in the deaths of another four rebels, including Joselito Melloria alias Ali, who was identified as the ASG’s local contact in Bohol.

The Clarin clash brought down to three the number of ASG bandits at large on the island.

Ensuing checkpoints across Bohol then led to the arrests of Police Supt. Maria Cristina Nobleza, deputy director of the Crime Lab in Davao region, and her lover Reenor Lou Dongon, a suspected bomb expert. A raid of their apartment in Panglao also yielded bomb components.

The two have been brought to the Camp Crame for further investigation amid suspicions that they were hatching a rescue plot for the Abu Sayyaf survivors or actually even taking part in the terror activities. (FREEMAN)