September 14, 2000, The Philippine Star, US troops may be tapped vs Sayyaf, by Paolo Romero and Romel Bagares,

A ranking military official who requested anonymity said US special forces — more popularly known as "Green Berets" and currently participating in ongoing joint military exercises in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija — may be called in to provide support to the Counter-Terrorist Task Force. 

Philippine troops involved in the war games being held at the former Clark Air Base in Pampanga and Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija are elements of the Army's Special Operations Command (SOCOM) that include Scout Rangers and other special forces, the Navy’s Special Warfare Group and the Air Force's Special Operations Battalion. The source said the joint exercises, codenamed "Balance Piston 2000-05," are part of the annual small-scale war games between the two countries. The activities, which began last Aug. 15  and will end on Sept. 22, include airborne operations, advance marksmanship, close quarter and jungle combat and survival skills. 

Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado denied, however, that the presence here of the US troops has something to do with the Aug. 28 abduction of Jeffrey Craig Edwards Schilling, a native of Oakland, California. Armed Forces chief Gen. Angelo Reyes informed Mercado that the military had already reactivated its anti-terrorist force composed of one company each from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. "Its mission is to plan and conduct counter-terrorism and other types of special operations on land, sea and air," Reyes said. It was held likely that the operations against the Abu Sayyaf will also include elements from the Army’s Special Forces and Scout Rangers, the Navy’s Special Warfare Group, the Air Force’s Anti-Hijacking Unit, and the Marines’ Recon Force. The task force will be under the supervision of  Maj. Gen. Antonio Santos, AFP deputy chief for operations. 

However, a defense official downplayed the mobilization of the task force, saying it merely coincided with the prolonged hostage crisis in Sulu. "The goal is for the military to be ready to respond to any emergency situation in the future," he said. The anti-terrorist unit was patterned after the US’ division-size Rapid Deployment Force, although smaller in scale and and with fewer equipment. About 20 American servicemen belonging to the US Air Force’s 353rd Special Operations Group based in Okinawa, Japan are here for the joint exercises. The AFP's anti-terrorist group was formed in early 1990s but was later disbanded due to strong pressures from some political and military quarters citing huge budget needed to maintain the unit’s sophisticated equipment. The defense source said the group took up a big share of the military budget. "But because of the hostage crisis, we realized the correctness of our plan (to reactivate the group)." 

Reyes said the Abu Sayyaf has gained international notoriety after it abducted 21 tourists and workers in the famous Malaysian dive resort of Sipadan in Sabah last April 23. The victims were taken by boat across the border to nearby Sulu. Reyes said the task force will not need special allocations. "Personnel, equipment and other resources will come from the special units of the major services that have capabilities to suppress terrorist actions anywhere in the country," he said.