August 9, 2000, The Philippine Star, Palace: Gov't cannot stop ransom payments to Sayyaf, by Marichu Villanueva,

August 9, 2000, The Philippine Star, Palace: Gov't cannot stop ransom payments to Sayyaf, by Marichu Villanueva,

"What can we do?" Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora categorically admitted yesterday the government's helplessness in preventing the payment of ransom to Abu Sayyaf kidnappers. Meanwhile, Makati Rep. Joker Arroyo chided the government for allowing itself to be outsmarted by the Abu Sayyaf in the negotiations for the release of the hostages.

For his part, Sen. Robert Barbers vowed to initiate a Senate inquiry on the alleged payments of princely ransom to the Abu Sayyaf. Zamora, along with Presidential Adviser Roberto Aventajado who is chief government negotiator with the Abu Sayyaf, blamed backdoor negotiators for facilitating the illegal transactions.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Angelo Reyes reported to Malacañang the other day that the Abu Sayyaf bandits, self-styled secessionist guerrillas fighting for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao, have so far collected P245 million in ransom settlements for the release of a handful of local and foreign hostages over the past few weeks.

"It's really hard to deny that. You can see money is now flooding Sulu and Basilan," Zamora said in a radio interview, virtually confirming Reyes' report to be accurate. But Aventajado disagreed with Zamora, saying Reyes' figure was too high. The Abu Sayyaf has established its bailiwicks in the neighboring island provinces of Sulu and Basilan where the bandits perpetrated mass kidnappings starting last March.

Zamora indicated that compatriots of the hostages and certain foreign government emissaries conducted back-channel talks with the Abu Sayyaf for the immediate release of the foreign captives. "The problem here is the government of the Philippines cannot stop all of that because these are foreign individuals, foreign agencies, foreign governments that are paying. Even if we say don't do it, that the government's policy is no ransom, when the time comes, they find a way to pay," Zamora said, but did not elaborate. He said some of the monetary settlements were probably done outside the country. However, Press Secretary Ricardo Puno Jr. maintained that the government is not entirely helpless in checking the ransom payments. "We can still make representations to these people not to exacerbate the situation by adding to the amounts that are already in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf," Puno said.

He acknowledged, though, that ransom payments could now be done through bank-to-bank transactions. "This is an internationalized economy right now. There are many ways of transferring funds, and there are many ways of putting money into people's pockets," Puno said.

The Abu Sayyaf has so far released six Malaysians, two Germans, two crew members of ABS-CBN Channel 2 television and a Filipino Christian preacher. Still being held in Abu Sayyaf jungle lairs in Sulu were 12 preachers of the Jesus Miracle Crusade (JMC), three Malaysians, five French nationals, two South Africans, two Finns, two Germans, two Filipinos and one Franco-Lebanese. Fourteen of the captives, including 10 Westerners, were seized by Abu Sayyaf gunmen from the Malaysian resort island of Sipadan last April 23. They were part of an initial group of 21 people rounded up by the bandits during the raid, then taken by boat across the border to nearby Sulu. The Abu Sayyaf later detained the 13 JMC preachers led by televangelist Wilde Almeda after the group conducted a pray-over session for the release of the Sipadan hostages at the abductors' hideout in the hinterlands of Talipao town, along with a three-member French television crew, a German magazine writer and the two ABS-CBN crew members.

Zamora said the President has expressed displeasure over the ransom payments and ordered that they be stopped. He also said Aventajado has vowed to resolve the hostage crisis in Sulu within one to two weeks. "Let's wait," Zamora added. Aventajado, who earlier categorically denied that no ransom was paid for the release of the six Malaysians, changed his tune as he hinted that the Malaysian negotiators had apparently met the kidnappers' ransom demand.

Both the Philippine and Malaysian government officials insisted that no money changed hands for the freedom of the Malaysians and some of the other hostages. To prevent further unauthorized negotiations, Aventajado said he has directed airport authorities in Sulu and Zamboanga City to be more strict in granting landing permits to Malaysian aircraft. Aventajado met yesterday afternoon with Malaysian Education Deputy Minister Datuk Aziz Shamsuddin and former Sabah Minister Yong Teck Lee to discuss the possibility of securing the release of the remaining three Malaysians. "We were not able to finalize anything today because they still need to consult their higher-ups back in Kuala Lumpur," Aventajado told reporters.

Sayyaf outsmarts the gov't - Arroyo

The Abu Sayyaf bandits are outsmarting the government by retailing the release of hostages, Arroyo said. "What we were made to understand is that the government would tolerate the (unofficial) negotiations, but it would be on a package deal basis--that is, all hostages would be redeemed for a fee in one deal," Arroyo said.

Once the hostages are all freed, the military would then pursue the hostage- takers, he added. "But what happened? Under the very noses of the government, there were separate piecemeal deals; the Malaysian deal, the German deal and the what-not deal - totaling, it turns out, P245 million (in ransom)," Arroyo noted. 

"Government goofed here... the government was outsmarted," he stressed. He pointed out that after collecting P245 million, the bandits still have most of the hostages. "Abu Sayyaf outflanked the government by engaging in retail trade release. Abu Sayyaf has found a prosperous cottage industry, the retailing of hostages," he said.

Arroyo also said with Reyes' admission on the P245 million in ransom payments, the Philippines is now known as the ransom capital of the world. "General Reyes' admission indicates a breakdown of government policy on the hostage problem," the legislator said.

He said Reyes has a reason to complain, since "our brave soldiers who died or were wounded in the campaign to defeat the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have not been blessed with even P50 million." - With Jess Diaz, Perseus Echeminada, Roel Pareño, AFP, Reuter reports