August 9, 2001, The Philippine Star, 'Final solution' vowed vs Sayyaf,

August 9, 2001, The Philippine Star, 'Final solution' vowed vs Sayyaf,

KUALA LUMPUR (via PLDT) – President Arroyo pledged yesterday to pursue a "final solution" against the Abu Sayyaf, a day after the government signed a ceasefire agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). 

In Isabela, Basilan, Armed Forces chief Gen. Diomedio Villanueva vowed to crush the bandits and rescue their 19 Filipino and two American hostages by November. 

"We expect it to end by November, considering the tactical operation and the variables," Villanueva said yesterday. "We have dismantled their mass base. (Because of this), the Abu Sayyaf is starting to react with violent actions." 

Speaking before Malaysian businessmen here, Mrs. Arroyo said the ceasefire will make Mindanao safe for investment, which is important for peace to succeed in war-ravaged Muslim areas. 

"We must stress that the Abu Sayyaf threat is confined to a tiny corner in southwestern Philippines," she said. "Nonetheless, we have gone full stride in our military offensive against them, and are relentlessly pursuing the kidnapping syndicates, and I think the problem is on its way to the final solution." 

The business leaders, including the influential Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the captains of Malaysia’s information technology industries, queried Mrs. Arroyo closely on issues relating to kidnapping and security. 

Mrs. Arroyo called on the Malaysian businessmen to increase their imports from the Philippines to enhance bilateral trade and economic relations between the two countries. 

"The Philippines is the fourth largest ASEAN supplier to Malaysia after Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia," she said. "On the other hand, the Philippines is Malaysia’s third largest market in ASEAN after Singapore and Thailand." 

Mrs. Arroyo said the Philippines is now developing a halal (to slaughter for food in accordance with Islamic law) food certification system and has identified Malaysia as a model. 

"We hope that we can be partners in promoting halal food not only because it is a market opportunity for us but more importantly because it recognizes a basic requirement of Filipino Muslims," she said. 

Mrs. Arroyo thanked the Malaysian businessmen for their interest in the economic development of Mindanao, particularly in contributing to the economic uplift of Muslim Filipinos. 

Mrs. Arroyo witnessed yesterday the signing of 10 agreements between Filipino and Malaysian businessmen at the Shangri-La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. 

The agreements were between the following: 

• RFM Corp. and IOLO Sdn BHD to organize in the Philippines a cold storage plant. 

• Selecta Walls and Unilever Thai Holdings to tap the Southeast Asian ice cream market. 

• Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) and Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) to conduct joint feasibility of the Sabah Philippine Inter-connection and the South Luzon Pipeline project. 

• Binariang Satellite and Millenia Telecommunications Corp. to provide communications broadband through MEAASAT 2 Satellite throughout the Philippines. 

• Malaysia Assurance Alliance Int’l Ltd. and MAA Gen. Assurance Phils.

In Lamitan, Basilan, Sen. Rodolfo Biazon demanded yesterday an explanation on the alleged collusion between military officials and the Abu Sayyaf on the payment of ransom for the hostages. 

Biazon said the government had only funded the recruitment of 10,000 militiamen because defense department officials had assured ousted President Joseph Estrada that the number was sufficient for deployment against rebels in Mindanao. 

Biazon urged the Armed Forces to replace with fresh troops the soldiers who have been running after the Abu Sayyaf in the jungles of Basilan. 

"The tired soldiers should be deployed to secure vulnerable civilian areas and the fresh troops be assigned to hunt down the Abu Sayyaf," he said. 

Biazon said the military should train residents of Basilan so they could defend themselves from the Abu Sayyaf and other outlaws that would try to attack their barangays. 

"The Basilan residents’ need for self-defense is immediate and urgent, but to mobilize local civilians to defend their own communities would require at least three months of training and three months is too long," he said. 

On the other hand, Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay said yesterday the House committee on national defense, which he heads, will investigate the circumstances behind the Abu Sayyaf’s raid in Isabela City, capital of Basilan. 

In a statement, Pichay said his committee will hold hearings in Basilan to give the congressmen a better appreciation of the problems facing the military. 

Pichay said they will investigate reports that the Abu Sayyaf was aided by "sympathetic elements" within the military, enabling the bandits to slip through the military dragnet thrown around their jungle hideout. 

"It is the duty of this committee to find out and investigate the truth on this and other reports on the military operations against the Abu Sayyaf," he said. "For, aside from external factors, this hostage crisis is the single biggest factor contributing to our economic showdown." 

Meanwhile, Villanueva rejected yesterday the call of some lawmakers for him and Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes to resign over the military’s alleged failure to rout the Abu Sayyaf. – Marichu Villanueva, Aurea Calica, Paolo Romero, Roel Pareño