July 30, 2001, The Philippine Star, Sayyaf's Sabaya Escapes Military Dragnet Anew,

July 30, 2001, The Philippine Star, Sayyaf's Sabaya Escapes Military Dragnet Anew,

Maluso, Basilan, July 30, 2001 - (STAR By Roel Pareño) Abu Sabaya and his Abu Sayyaf band have broken anew the dragnet the Army had thrown around their jungle hideout to smoke out the bandits.

Intelligence sources told The STAR yesterday that Sabaya, whose real name is Aldan Tilao, and the other bandits, dragging along their two American hostages, Martin and Gracia Burnham, fled toward the coastal town of Sumisip, where they took a passenger jeepney for Upper Mahalalang town.

Residents said the American couple looked haggard as they were probably moving from one place to another to try to elude the advancing Army troops.

"Both (Americans) were thin and the man had grown a beard," a resident said. "I don’t know them but I’m sure they were foreigners."

Residents said they have also seen the other hostages but were not able to say how many of them had been forced to remain in the jungles of Basilan.

Intelligence sources said 30 heavily armed Abu Sayyaf bandits led by Suhod Tanadjalin had crossed the Kumalarang River in a diversionary maneuver to allow Sabaya and his men to escape the military dragnet.

At least seven of Sabaya’s men, who were armed with 57RR recoilless rockets, took two pumpboats for Maluso town and docked at Barangay Samal to get food and gasoline, intelligence sources added.

However, intelligence sources said the group aborted its mission and escaped back to Sumisip after they were spotted by police and civilian volunteers.

Sabaya was said to have been visiting his relatives in Lamitan and Malamawi towns off Isabela City but the military could not confirm nor deny these reports.

The Army will start deploying next month unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to track down the Abu Sayyaf and their 21 hostages in the jungles of Basilan and Sulu.

Col. Ricardo Morales, chief of the Army’s plans and programs, said the computer-controlled miniature planes have been undergoing test flights in Fort Magsaysay, the country’s largest military base, in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, for the past six months.

Morales said the whole prototype project costs between P3.5 million to P5 million "that includes testing and training of the crew, (which) is comparatively very cheap" as a model of the same kind would cost much higher if acquired from foreign sources.

"Security-wise it is a good investment for the country as the UAV’s capability is not only limited to military usage but can monitor illegal logging, disaster assessment, environmental protection and enhance communications in real time," he said.

The four prototype UAVs were developed and assembled by the internationally renowned Mapua Brothers, one of the country’s pioneering engineering firms, he added.

Morales said developed countries like the United States and Israel have extensively used UAVs in combat and environmental surveillance for many decades.

Morales said the locally-developed prototype UAVs have a range of 20 kilometers and can be airborne for two hours, and use gasoline as fuel.

Fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters are very expensive to maintain, he added.

Morales said two of the UAVs will be deployed in Basilan and Sulu to help government forces in tracking down the elusive Abu Sayyaf bandits.

The UAV will help ground forces in pinpointing the exact location of the Abu Sayyaf and their hostages, he added. — With PNA