June 7, 2001, The Philippine Star, Editorial, This time, don't let them get away,

June 7, 2001, The Philippine Star, Editorial, This time, don't let them get away,

As of yesterday afternoon, 15 soldiers had been killed and 51 wounded from the fighting in Basilan. When they’re not fighting, eating or distributing relief goods to evacuees, the soldiers can be seen sleeping the sleep of the dead-tired, clutching their rifles and bandoleers as they lie on a floor or a dirt path.

When you're called upon to lay your life on the line, it's more than just a job. It has to take more than the paltry salary that the government can afford to pay its soldiers to make them go to battle. Fighting an enemy of the state such as the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group requires a love of country not often seen these days, especially when the soldiers lack the wherewithal to effectively carry out their mission. We pay tribute to those who have fallen, and those who continue to risk life and limb to exterminate a scourge that has sown terror for nearly a decade.

Such displays of courage should not be allowed to go to waste. Over a week after Abu Sayyaf bandits kidnapped 20 people in Palawan, even President Arroyo has admitted impatience for decisive results in the military offensive. Nine of the 20 hostages have been recovered, but the bandits have taken more, using the captives as human shields in their retreat to their stronghold in the hinterlands of Basilan.

Critics are wondering how the bandits managed to take their hostages by boat to Basilan from Palawan without being spotted when there was supposed to be a naval blockade in the Sulu Sea. The bandits' subsequent escape from a hospital in Lamitan, Basilan that was supposedly ringed by government troops has also drawn flak.

If some quarters are suspecting that the bandits were actually allowed to escape, it's because it's not the first time that the Abu Sayyaf has given government troops the slip. Last year a full-scale offensive was launched in Sulu in the wake of the Abu Sayyaf's abduction of tourists from a Malaysian island resort. The offensive, however, ended with no Abu Sayyaf commander being arrested or killed, and without the recovery of the bandits' multimillion-dollar ransom payments. Earlier this year another offensive was also supposed to have been launched to recover American hostage Jeffrey Schilling. The operation ended after Schilling was rescued.

Now the body count on the government side is piling up, and it will continue to rise until the Abu Sayyaf is neutralized. There are enough men of courage out there who are ready to die for their country. Their best reward is the success of this offensive.