July 25, 2003, The Philippine Star, Philippine congress finds no substantive proof of Abu Sayyaf, army collusion,

July 25, 2003, The Philippine Star, Philippine congress finds no substantive proof of Abu Sayyaf, army collusion,

Camp Aquino, Tarlac: Congress has found no substantive proof that certain military officers colluded with the Abu Sayyaf, as a Catholic priest had alleged, when the extremist rebels escaped from heavy guard in a hospital in Lamitan, Basilan on 2 June, 2001. In a press release, the Armed Forces' Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) quoted Rep Prospero Pichay, chairman of the house committee on defence, as issuing such a statement when the Surigao del Sur solon visited its headquarters here recently.

The Nolcom's commanding officer, Maj-Gen Romeo Dominguez, was one of five military officers whom Basilan priest Fr Cirilo Nacorda accused of facilitating the escape of Abu Sayyaf rebels from the Lamitan hospital. The Nolcom statement quoted Pichay as saying that Dominguez is "one of the finest officers of the armed forces today".

Both houses of congress conducted joint hearings to investigate Nacorda's allegations and heard the testimonies of at least 22 witnesses. But Pichay, according to the statement, said that no witness gave "direct" evidence of any such collusion between the Abu Sayyaf and the military officers, and that lawmakers were "unanimous" in dismissing the accusations. [passage omitted]