|
Thursday, June 26, 2003
Wenceslao: A hostage’s tale
By Bong Wenceslao
(Second of three parts)
Gracia Burnham, in her book (with Dean Merrill), “In the Presence of My Enemies,” did allege collusion between some Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) officials and the Abu Sayyaf, but only in passing. And rightly so, because a big part of the book also tackled other factors that allowed the group to do the things they did.
Much of the Abu Sayyaf’s success at that time could be traced to three factors—money, use of force and the support it got for its cause, in that order. If claims of military collusion were true, for example, the only reason for it was the money. Here is how Gracia presented the allegation that whipped up a storm in the country for a while:
“Our food supply at this time was actually quite good for a most unusual reason: The armed forces were feeding us!…Why in the world did President Arroyo’s troops provide the Abu Sayyaf with their daily bread? We were told that it was because (Abu) Sabaya was wheeling and dealing with the AFP general of that area over how to split up any ransom that might be paid.”
And, yes, money flowed into the jungle. Even hours after the May 2001 kidnapping incident in Dos Palmas Resort in Palawan, talk already revolved around it. “Muslim advancement may have been the announced overall goal,” Gracia wrote, “but cash was the necessary fuel.” In the end, the fuel was supplied when ransoms were paid.
Consider the case of businessman Reggie Romero and his girlfriend Rizza, who “escaped” during the battle in a hospital in Lamitan, Basilan. Gracia wrote: “Somehow in the middle of all this confusion, the Abu Sayyaf got word that Reggie and Rizza’s ransom money had arrived. Since we were in such a public place, it would be easy to recruit a civilian to take them out of the hospital.”
With the Abu Sayyaf awash with money, there were always those eager to cash in, be they high-ranking government officials or residents in Basilan and Zamboanga. Money was the first recruitment lure and force second.
Here, it would be worth mentioning that the Abu Sayyaf got support from another force, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which provided sanctuary. “At the water’s edge,” Gracia wrote, “we began moving from one rock to another in the river for a while, then up a hill, finally arriving at the camp, which belonged to the MILF.”
Then there is the role of some of our colleagues in the profession in this whole tragic tale. I am referring to some program handlers of Radyo Agong of the Radio Mindanao Network and Arlyn de la Cruz, the only reporter able to interview and get footages of the Burnhams while in captivity in Basilan.
From Gracia’s narrative, it was clear these media people were not just trying to out-scoop the others in the coverage of the hostage-taking incident but went deeper than what the ethics of the profession allowed.
Of some people in Radyo Agong, here’s what Gracia wrote: “One day the announcer used a tip-off name for Sabaya and said, ‘The bank turned down your offer for the house that you wanted to sell, and they’re going to come now and take the house by force. My advice would be for you to leave the house so you don’t get in any trouble.’
“It didn’t take too much sleuthing to figure out what that meant. Negotiations with the general had broken down, and we needed to move along.”
And Arlyn? “While there,” Gracia wrote, “I learned that a new plan was being hatched. Sabaya said, ‘Arlyn, you can go out and sell this footage to CNN or some network for at least a million dollars—maybe two million. Just send it back to us directly for their ransom, and then we can let them go. You’ll get to be famous, we’ll get paid—everybody will be happy.’”
Of course, that footage ended up with CBS, but only for $50,000 (and it was paid to Arlyn’s tv network in the Philippines). Sabaya would later say Arlyn double-crossed them. When Arlyn went to Sulu for another coverage, she went missing and claimed the Abu Sayyaf held her hostage. (to be continued)
(For your Text Reax contributions, my cell phone number is 09166496783. Please give your complete name and address. E-mail to: cowens21@lycos.com or opinion@sunstar. com.ph)
(June 26, 2003 issue)
Want Sun.Star news on your mobile phone? Click here.
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[ return
to top ]
[ home
]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
