Saturday, November 17, 2007 Akbar’s 2 rivals linked to blast
FORMER House deputy speaker for Mindanao Abdulgani “Gerry” Sala-puddin said he has nothing to do with the bomb explosion at the Batasan complex last Tuesday.
He admitted, though, that Ikram Indama, one of the three suspected Abu Sayyaf Group members who were arrested during Thursday’s bloody raid in Payatas, Quezon City, was his former driver.
“I don’t deny that he (Ikram) worked for me as a driver. But after my term, I don’t know what happened to him,” Salapuddin said.
Salapuddin lost to Basilan Gov. Jum Akbar, one of the four widows of the late Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar, who died in the Batasan blast.
Police are now eyeing the possible connection of the Payatas raid to the Batasan blast that aside from Akbar also killed three other persons.
But opposition Sen. Chiz Escudero and Gabriela Rep. Luz Ilagan, who was injured in the bombing, found the raid “scripted” and warned against arresting fall guys.
Operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Special Action Force and the Philippine Army were about to serve arrest warrants on two persons for kidnapping-for-ransom when the suspects resisted.
Redwan Indama, his wife Saing Indama, and Pakir Said alias Abu Jandal were killed.
An identification card with Ikram’s name was found during the raid in Parkwood Violago Homes in Payatas. Ikram was identified him as a “legislative assistant 3” assigned to the Office of the Deputy Speaker for Mindanao.
National Capital Region Police Chief Geary Barias said the police also recovered a congressional car license plate, a congressional car sticker and shirts with the logo of the House of Representatives during the raid.
But he would not comment on whether these items were used in planning the bombing last Tuesday night, shortly after the House of Representatives adjourned session.
“The Payatas operation is a major breakthrough in the case of the bombing at the south wing of (the) Batasan Pambansa based on the physical evidence we’ve gathered,” PNP Director General Avelino Razon Jr. told a press conference in Camp Crame.
Calling cards of Salapuddin were also found during the raid. But Razon said this was not enough to consider Salapuddin a suspect.
In a separate interview, Salapuddin said, ”A grieving person’s normal instinct is to suspect a political rival as the killer. But my electoral protest was not against Wahab Akbar. My protest was against his wife.”
Anak Mindanao party-list Rep. Mujiv Hataman, who has also been linked to the bombing, said Redwan Indama, one of the three fatalities in the Payatas raid, was his third cousin on his father’s side.
But he said that Redwan was a former member of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and former municipal councilor of Tipo-Tipo, Basilan.
Hataman also confirmed that he was seeing Ikram as driver of Salapuddin, a former commander of MNLF, during his stint as congressman of Basilan during the 13th Congress.
Ikram’s identification card was recovered by the policemen during the raid. It stated that he was detailed with Salapuddin.
Aside from Ikram, two other suspected Abu Sayyaf rebels—Khaidar Awnal and Adham Kusain—were also arrested.
Salapuddin said he knew Redwan and Saing but not Abu Jandal, adding that his driver was a nephew of Redwan.
“I know Redwan Indama because he is a former member of the MNLF. And the woman, Saing Indama, that’s his wife,” he said.
The former congressman said Ikram served as his personal driver for three years while he was still in office.
Salapuddin said his former driver does not have connection with the Abu Sayyaf although there is a possibility that the he has relatives with the bandit group.
He suspected that Ikram could have been lured into the group because of “his experience and access inside the House of Representatives.”
“They might have used Indama as a bridge. Because, number one, he was working as my driver for three years. He knows all of Manila’s streets. He has an ID,” he said.
Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. hailed the police raid on a suspected Abu Sayyaf lair in Payatas, calling it “spectacular” as police investigators moved rapidly to solve bomb attack at the House of Representatives. (Sunnex)
