MANILA -- The possibility of granting amnesty to Abu Sayyaf bandits has drawn flak from the political opposition, saying the government is showing weakness in dealing with the terrorist group.

United Opposition (UNO) president and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay said instead of granting amnesty, the government should move to immediately neutralize the Abu Sayyaf group following the release of Italian hostage Eugenio Vagni last week, after nearly six months in captivity.

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"Government is showing weakness when it should be showing strength," Binay said.

"If government says that this group has mellowed, then all the more reason for the military to take decisive steps to finally eliminate the Abu Sayyaf," he added.

The opposition leader said he does not see any comparison between the Abu Sayyaf and rebel groups like the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the National Democratic Front (NDF), and its armed wing the New People's Army (NPA).

The government is pursuing peace talks with these rebel groups.

"The actions of the Abu Sayyaf are not guided by deeply held convictions. They have committed criminal acts that have shocked the world, and for this they must face the full brunt of the law," Binay said.

In 2002, the United States Department of Defense included the Abu Sayyaf in its list of terror groups around the world.

Open

Malacañang on Tuesday said it was studying a proposal to grant amnesty to ailing senior members of the Abu Sayyaf following the release of Vagni, who was abducted in January along with two other Red Cross workers.

The proposal to declare amnesty was suggested by Senator Richard Gordon, who is also chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC).

Gordon has had communication with the Abu Sayyaf during the captivity of Vagni and his two colleagues from the ICRC.

The government, according to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, is open to Gordon's proposal to grant amnesty as part of the plan to achieve long-lasting peace in Mindanao.

Under Article 7 Section 19 of the 1987 Constitution, the President has "the power to grant amnesty with the concurrence of a majority of all members of Congress."

Earlier, Binay lambasted the government's failure to go after the Abu Sayyaf despite billions in intelligence funds, superior strength, and several major offensives. He said the National Government has failed to annihilate what it has described as a small group of terrorists.

"The National Government has repeatedly dismissed the Abu Sayyaf as a small group of terrorists, and yet this small group has been behind kidnappings and other acts of atrocities that challenge the authority of government. They should be stopped," he said.

Unwise

Like the opposition, some administration officials also oppose the proposal to declare amnesty with members of the Abu Sayyaf, which is responsible for a number of high-profile kidnappings and bombings in the country.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said it will be an unwise decision to proceed with an amnesty to the terrorists, adding that "we might as well give similar reprieves to other criminals like bank robbers and drug traffickers."

"They (Abu Sayyaf bandits) have done so much damage knowingly to the country and to the people of Sulu. I feel that the advantages of any amnesty are far, far, far outweighed by the need to enforce the law in a consistent and firm manner," Teodoro said.

He said any talk about amnesty for the Abu Sayyaf at this time "would be a serious blow to our counterterrorism efforts."

"And it would send a wrong signal not merely to potential law breakers in this country but to the international community that we are not able to deal with ours, with severe demonstrations of criminality and terrorism," he added.

The defense chief is optimistic that the security forces can end the Abu Sayyaf menace, especially with the assistance of the community.

National security adviser Norberto Gonzales, chief presidential legal counsel Raul Gonzalez, presidential peace adviser Avelino Razon, and presidential adviser for Mindanao Affairs Jesus Dureza are also not thrilled with the proposed amnesty for the Abu Sayyaf bandits. (AH/VR/Sunnex)