Tension in Maharlika

Tension gripped a barangay in Taguig yesterday as nearly a hundred military men, some in full battle gear and members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) arrived to arrest alleged kidnappers and members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).

A cousin of Abu Sayyaf leader Hector Janjalani wanted for a kidnap-for-ransom case in Basilan was reportedly among those being hunted down in Barangay Maharlika Village, police said.

"They arrived here to serve an alias warrant from Basilan. There are about 10 names on their list," Senior Inspector Eleuterio Tirsona, chief of the Taguig Police Community Precinct 2, said in a phone interview.

No one on the list was arrested during the search. PCP 2 has jurisdiction over Maharlika Village, one of the biggest Muslim communities in Metro Manila. Tirsona said an alias warrant allows authorities to search any place of residence in an area for suspected criminals.

The presence of nearly a hundred military and police personnel alarmed residents, prompting them to call up the PCP 2 office.

Tirsona assured residents that the military had coordinated with the local police as early as 6:30 a.m. yesterday.

Combined elements of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the PNP-Regional Special Action Unit, and the Philippine Army are carrying out the search.

The military and police were stationed in front of the mosque in Maharlika Village and a few meters away from the barangay hall.

Norma Pangandaman, Maharlika Village barangay captain, said that first to be searched was the house of a Muslim couple located on Hulo Street.

"They did not find any Abu Sayyaf member there. The house is owned by a couple I know very well. The husband is a bank manager. The military promptly apologized to them," she said.

But in the course of the search, the military and police arrested a man for possession of an unlicensed .9mm pistol.

The identity of the suspect was not available but Tirsona said he was a member of the Maharlikan Anti-Terrorist and All Crimes of the Philippines group. Tirsona said the group is led by one Hajji Samier Ysmael, who later arrived at the scene .

In separate interviews, Tirsona and Pangandaman admitted that suspected Abu Sayayf members have been going in and out of the barangay.

"Some of them reportedly have relatives here. They come and go so we cannot really monitor them. Besides, they really don’t like to stay long here because our barangay is right beside Camp Bagong Diwa," Pangandaman said.

Sometimes, she added, the suspected ASG members seek refuge in mosques.

Pangandaman said barangay officials are vigilant in monitoring the presence of suspected terrorists in their area. "We don’t want them to stay here," she said.