Crisis management: Atyani, two Filipinos move freely

THE Crisis Management Committee (CMC) said the Jordanian journalist and his Filipino crew were not being held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf bandits in the Sulu province.

The CMC chaired by Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan said Thursday that Baker Atyani’s team is conducting interviews with certain personalities in remote areas in the province.

Atyani, the Southeast Asia bureau chief of Al Arabiya News Channel, Rolando Letrero, 22, an audioman, and photographer Ramelito Vela, 39, were reported missing last June 12.

Quoting the Sulu Police Command, the CMC said Atyani and his companions are not even considered “missing” because their whereabouts are already known.

“They are with the ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group) and believed to be well taken care of and are not held against their will,” the CMC added.

Atyani and his companions are not hostages; in fact there is no indication that any crime or complaint is evident, according to the CMC.

“The only established fact is that he and his two companions are freely moving around with the ASG,” the CMC added, citing the military also received similar reports.

With these developments, the CMC is now downgraded to a Monitoring Committee, that involves the participation of the community to monitor Atyani and his companions’ activities and not lose sight of their whereabouts, the CMC further said.

However, the CMC did not reveal the location of Atyani’s group. (Bong Garcia/Sunnex)