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Wednesday, July 04, 2007
MILF withdraws forces searching for Italian priest
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) withdrew its forces that were helping in the search for abducted Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi, paving the way for an all-military effort to recover the Pontificio Istituto Missioni Estere (Pime) preacher.
Lawyer Abdul Dataya, chairperson of the MILF Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (Ahjag), and government Ahjag chairperson Major General Benjamin Dolorfino arrived at the decision after they realized that a simultaneous rescue operation was not a very good situation.
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"(Bossi's rescue) is now the sole responsibility of the AFP (Armed Forces)...," Mohammad Nassif, a member the MILF Ahjag, said.
However, Nassif said MILF forces were on standby and ready to respond as quickly as possible if requested later to take part in the rescue.
Nassif said the MILF has decided to pull out its troops, numbering around a thousand, from the boundary of Lanao Del Sur and Lanao Del Norte, particularly in Sultan Gumander town, to allow government troops to come in unhampered.
Dolorfino said the pullout of MILF forces was made last Saturday but that joint intelligence efforts between the government and the rebel group to locate and recover the priest continue.
A joint communiqué signed by government and rebel group negotiators in 2002 authorizes the conduct of joint military and MILF operations, particularly in the interdiction of criminal elements in MILF territories.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said Tuesday the accord had recently expired. The government and MILF had hoped to renew the accord at the end of last month, but the government's chief negotiator resigned and his replacement has not yet had a chance to meet formally with the guerrillas.
Fr. Bossi, 57, is the parish priest of Payao town in Zamboanga Sibugay. He was seized June 10 while on his way to celebrate mass in Barangay Bulawan in Payao.
In a statement, Pime said it feels that the abduction of Fr. Bossi was a vicious drama.
Pime said that since the time Fr. Bossi was abducted, they were told that "he would be released within few hours, within few days."
"We were told that both the government forces and MILF contacts have been monitoring all possible areas, all possible armed groups, and all possible witnesses, even the most secret hideouts, using the latest high-tech devices. We were told that emissaries were sent with cell phones to verify if he is alive, we were told that medicines had been provided for his hypertension, we were told he is well alive riding a horse. We were told that the kidnappers are asking for 15 million pesos...but when we tried to verify all these reports we have come to the conclusion that they are all false reports," Pime said.
They were also confused as to the whereabouts of Fr. Bossi and his abductors since some military officials said the captive is still in Zamboanga Sibugay while others say he is in Lanao province.
The Pime priests are wondering why the abductors cannot be identified until now and why there is no declaration of purpose in abducting Fr. Bossi.
"We know that Giancarlo cannot disappear like a ghost. He is too big and it must be difficult to hide him. We are very worried about him and we know for a fact that his captors (belong to a) large armed group who certainly have cell phones and connections with various influential personalities and organizations. Why can't they be identified? Why can't they declare their purpose?" Pime said.
Pime superior general Fr. Gian Batista Zanchi said in a statement that a crisis unit from Italy's foreign ministry is arriving Tuesday in Mindanao to work with local political and Church authorities as well as Pime missionaries.
Malacañang said there was nothing wrong with this, adding the Italian government has every right to send someone to check on developments in efforts to rescue one of its nationals.
Chief presidential legal counsel Sergio Antonio Apostol said the Italian government is unlikely to bypass or go behind the Philippine government's back to negotiate and secure the release of Fr. Bossi.
Nevertheless, Deputy National Security Adviser Pedro Cabuay said it was the job of the Philippine military to find Bossi and bring him home safely.
He also shrugged off the pullout of the MILF from the rescue efforts, saying the "time period" for them to help had already lapsed. (Bong Garcia/With VR/JMR/AP)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pangasinan. (July 4, 2007 issue)
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