June 20, 2001, Inquirer News Service, Basilan terrain gives gov’t troops hard time, by Julie Alipala-Inot,
Posted: 10:44 PM (Manila Time)

ISABELA CITY, Basilan--The military is having difficulty engaging the Abu Sayyaf in combat despite the heavy deployment of troops in the province. 

Maj. Alberto Gepilano, military and civilian operations officer of the Joint Task Force Comet, made this admission yesterday, saying the members of the bandit group were "masters of the Basilan terrain." 

"They are natives of this place, and it works to their advantage. And they have been able to elude our advancing forces," he said. 

Gepilano also said the bandits could "easily blend with the populace . . . because they are just like ordinary citizens." 

But Agence France Presse quoted a ranking military official as saying that a showdown was expected this week. 

"It will happen soon. The troops are hoping for some action this week," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. 

"It will be a matter of physics. Two bodies cannot occupy the same space at the same time," he said. 

Gepilano said that while no clashes were occurring, this did not mean a lull in military operations. 

He also denied that there was "overkill" in the deployment of eight Army and Marine battalions in the province to go after an estimated 400 bandits. 

"We have more than enough forces. We are just beefing them up because Basilan is too wide an area," Gepilano said. 

He said the heavy deployment of troops was needed to "corner" the bandits in a small area. 

He refused to identify the actual site of the operations, saying he did not want to jeopardize the lives of the hostages. 

The bandits are believed to be in a jungle area about 20 kilometers from Isabela. 

They are believed holding 26 American and Filipino hostages--seven of the original 20 taken from the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan on May 27, four from a hospital in Lamitan town on June 2, and 15 from the Golden Harvest Plantation in Lantawan town on June 11. 

The Associated Press reported that the father of Filipino hostage Lalaine Chua, who was among those taken from Dos Palmas, yesterday asked her captors anew to tell him she was still alive. 

Appealing to Abu Sayyaf spokesperson Abu Sabaya over Radio Mindanao Network, Benito Chua said: "We are facing a very tough time and are very worried. We love our daughter. Let her call me to give me some peace of mind." 

"If you are listening, Mr. Sabaya, we just want to hear the voice of Lalaine," Chua said, sounding as if he were about to cry. 

Chua had earlier aired a similar appeal.

Basilan Gov. Wahab Akbar said the seeming lull in the military operations was a result of the concrete and objective planning to stamp out the Abu Sayyaf. 

He said that the bandits were still in Basilan, and that their "contacts" in the towns of Tipo-Tipo, Lantawan, Tuburan and Sumisip were merely conducting diversionary tactics. 

He added that community defense forces had been strengthened in Isabela, the capital, and in Lamitan and other towns. 

Gepilano said the reported payment of ransom by the hostages’ families had somehow affected the military operations. 

"Naturally, we don’t want that to happen. Our soldiers are risking their lives to rescue the hostages. But our efforts will be for naught if ransom is paid," he said in Filipino. 

As tensions ran high in Isabela, three men claiming to be members of the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were arrested on suspicion of being Abu Sayyaf gunmen. 

They were detained on charges of homicide and robbery as they returned from being accepted into a government amnesty program available to MILF members who turn in their weapons. 

Although the military complained about the arrests, a guard at Isabela City Prison, Irineo Solano, said the three remained behind bars because of a court order for their jailing. 

The MILF has consistently denied any involvement with the Abu Sayyaf. It started peace talks with the Philippine government yesterday in Libya.