Sunday, February 11, 2007
Police chief favors transfer of terror suspects to Manila
By Ben O. Tesiorna
PHILIPPINE National Police Chief Oscar Calderon is amenable to the idea of transferring high-risk inmates from the North Cotabato provincial jail to a more secured penal institution for reasons of security.
In his visit to Kidapawan City last Thursday, Calderon said they will readily transfer all high-risk detainees of the province to Manila once the Department of Justice (DOJ) orders them to do so.
He admitted that any order for the transfer of prisoners would have to emanate from the proper court.
Calderon said that without an order from the court or the DOJ they are just as helpless as the Provincial Government.
"It depends on how fast DOJ would act on the plan as per request of Governor Piñol," Calderon said.
Governor Emmanuel Piñol earlier rued on the inaction of the Supreme Court on their request for the transfer of terror suspects in a more secured jail either in Davao City or Manila.
The governor said had the SC approved their request back in 2004, the February 2 jailbreak would have not happened.
Authorities said the early morning raid of the provincial jail by the Pentagon kidnap-for-ransom group was for the purpose of releasing the three suspects behind the 2002 Kidapawan bombing.
A total of 49 inmates escaped during the raid, and until now none of the escapees were recovered.
Piñol, in an earlier interview, wants all 49 escapees from the provincial jail retrieved dead or alive, but prefers them dead than alive.
Authorities intensified the manhunt operation against the escapees with the deployment of more troops in Central Mindanao.
Piñol met with crisis manager and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, along with Lieutenant General Rodolfo Obaniana, Eastern Mindanao Command chief, at the provincial capitol Saturday to map out strategies for the immediate capture of the escapees.
Piñol have already offered a P20,000 reward for each of the 49 escapees.
He said the Provincial Government will be providing special militiamen to augment the two battalions coming from the Army's 602nd Brigade that would form the newly-created Task Force North Cotabato.
Obaniana announced the appointment of Colonel Fidel Pumihic, as chief of the said task force.
Calderon, meanwhile, ordered that all photos of the escapees be posted in all the public places in Southern Mindanao and Southwestern Mindanao.
Duterte, on the other hand, will be reporting back to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo the steps they have taken to address the problem.
Duterte said they will support whatever actions Piñol, the military, and police will undertake to recover the escapees, especially the three suspected bombers.
He said the crisis management team will exhaust efforts to talk with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to recapture the escapees if the rebel group really wants to help.For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (February 11, 2007 issue)
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