June 14, 2001, The Philippine Star, Sobero beheading a bluff — AFP, by Paolo Romero and Roel Pareño,

June 14, 2001, The Philippine Star, Sobero beheading a bluff — AFP, by Paolo Romero and Roel Pareño,

Failing to find any corpse of a Caucasian man, military officials surmised yesterday that Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Sabaya was merely bluffing when he said on radio that they had beheaded kidnapped American Guillermo Sobero. 

The search was not exactly fruitless as the troops reported discovering three headless bodies in Abu Sayyaf-held areas in Basilan. All three were Filipinos. 

But Armed Forces chief Gen. Diomedio Villanueva, citing an assessment by the military intelligence community, said the possibility that Sobero was executed was "very, very high." 

Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan said it was difficult to look for Sobero's body. 

"Assuming that it's true, how do we find a graveyard unless a witness comes in and admits he did the execution?" Adan said. 

"We will not just believe what Sabaya has said. We hope he did not do it and we hope Sobero is still alive," Adan told reporters. 

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Jose Mabanta also doubted Sabaya's claim. 

"The three Americans are their (Abu Sayyaf's) prized possessions. As much as possible, they will keep them alive as bargaining chips," Mabanta said. 

Apart from Sobero, the Abu Sayyaf bandits also hold Martin Burnham and his wife Gracia, both missionaries of the New Tribes Mission from Wichita, Kansas. 

The three Americans, along with 17 Filipinos, were seized by the Abu Sayyaf during a raid on the posh resort of Dos Palmas in Palawan last May 27, then taken on a long boat ride to Basilan island. 

Nine of the hostages have either escaped or were rescued during intense fighting between soldiers and the Abu Sayyaf guerrillas in Basilan. 

Two other hostages, both workers of the resort, were executed by the bandits last week. 

The military has served caution about Sabaya's credibility, saying he has made threats of execution before but never carried them out. Military officials also pointed out that Sabaya has lied on many occasions. 

They said Sabaya was resorting to brinkmanship again on Sobero's case. 

"We believe that is still part of Sabaya's bluff," said Col. Danilo Servando, spokesman for the Armed Forces' Southern Command (Southcom) based in Zamboanga City. 

But the discovery of the three bodies, one of them that of a Muslim cleric, near a plantation in Tipo-Tipo town where the Abu Sayyaf snatched 50 people Monday but released 35 of them, emphasized the murderous nature of the extremist group. 

The Abu Sayyaf executed two Filipino teachers and a Catholic priest in a hostage drama last year as a birthday gift to then President Joseph Estrada. 

Sabaya had said they would decapitate Sobero, a 40-year-old Californian of Peruvian descent, as an Independence Day gift to the Arroyo administration. 

Military officials identified two of the headless bodies as those of Muhaymin Latip, an ustadz; and Sammy Muarip, a known Muslim leader. 

The three were believed killed while trying to act as self-appointed negotiators for the release of the Abu Sayyaf hostages. 

Sabaya on Sunday said they would also behead certain ulamas (Muslim religious leaders) for cooperating with the government. 

Local residents said Latip was tapped by former congressman Cando Mujarib as a negotiator with the Abu Sayyaf. 

Tipo-Tipo Mayor Joel Maturan said four negotiators entered the Abu Sayyaf lair to persuade the guerrillas to release their captives. However, it enraged Sabaya who ordered his men to tie up one of the negotiators in the form of a cross, then immediately chopped off his head. The three other supposed negotiators reportedly fled. 

It was not clear what the negotiators were offering, but National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said they were not working for the government. 

Sobero's family anxiously awaited word on his fate as his modest one-story bungalow was ringed by photographers and TV satellite trucks. His wife, Fanny, and the rest of the family waited inside, refusing to speak to reporters. 

Neighbors tied yellow ribbons around palm trees on the quiet street of the community 73 kilometers southeast of Los Angeles — now a common ritual for US nationals who go missing or are abducted abroad. 

"We do not know what is going on," neighbor Manuel Contreras told reporters after visiting with the Soberos.