May 30, 2001, The Philippine Star, AFP: Vigilantes vs Sayyaf welcome, by Paolo Romero,

May 30, 2001, The Philippine Star, AFP: Vigilantes vs Sayyaf welcome, by Paolo Romero,

To win the war against the Abu Sayyaf Islamic fundamentalist group, the Arroyo administration is courting all the help it can get.

Embarrassed by an abduction carried out by the Abu Sayyaf on a Philippine resort, the military welcomed yesterday the participation of vigilantes or private armed groups in an all-out war against the bandits.

President Arroyo also said she may increase the P100- million bounty for the capture of Abu Sayyaf members.

This developed as the government imposed a news blackout on the military offensive against the Abu Sayyaf raiders who snatched 20 people from the upscale Dos Palmas resort at Honda Bay off Puerto Princesa City in Palawan at dawn last Sunday.

Meanwhile, a war of nerves broke out between the government and the kidnappers who threatened to execute all of their 20 hostages amid President Arroyo's warning that the Muslim extremist group would be destroyed if it did not release the captives.

The military doubted reports that the kidnappers, with their hostages in tow, have safely reached their strongholds in Basilan and Sulu.

"We welcome the assistance of (private) armed groups. We are not encouraging vigilantism, but if they could go after the Abu Sayyaf, which is a known enemy of the state, that is a welcome development. They will be rewarded," Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan said.

A Malacanang source said the military will mobilize and deploy the militia Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Units to assist the troops in combating the Abu Sayyaf terrorists who style themselves as freedom fighters struggling for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao.

But Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the government must not involve vigilantes in the drive against the Abu Sayyaf terrorists, saying it would only result in more bloodshed.

He said the government must try as much as possible to save the lives of the hostages.

Mrs. Arroyo set the pace for the news blackout by refusing to answer a reporter's questions about her reaction to Sabaya's threat.

"Please understand the sensitivity of the ongoing operations. It is important to employ secrecy to surprise the enemy," Mrs. Arroyo said.

She added that giving the bandits media attention only emboldens them. "That is the psychology of the terrorists...they want to have international acclaim," Mrs. Arroyo said.

She advised journalists against going to Basilan and Sulu provinces which are considered Abu Sayyaf strongholds.

The military also warned reporters covering the hostage drama to take extra precautions if they insist on traveling to Sulu or Basilan.

Mrs. Arroyo clarified that she has not ordered the military to ban journalists from traveling travel to the two island provinces, adding she was merely appealing to the media not to go to Basilan or Sulu "where a war is going on."

Mrs. Arroyo earlier directed the budget department to allocate P100 million as cash reward for the capture of the kidnappers.

She said she may even raise the bounty with her own money just to be sure that the Abu Sayyaf terrorists were annihilated.

She directed Armed Forces chief Gen. Diomedio Villanueva to put up military detachments in each island in Mindanao as defense posts against the bandits.

"We would not encourage you to go to Jolo at this time, but in case you'll be proceeding, please observe guidelines to ensure your safety," said Adan.

"We hope the incident last year will not be repeated because it adds to the problem," Adan said, referring to last year's hostage crisis involving 21 mostly foreign hostages who were seized from the Malaysian resort island of Sipadan and brought to Jolo where a number of local and foreign journalists who covered the event were captured by the Abu Sayyaf and released upon payment of ransom.

All but one of the hostages were either freed or rescued.

"If we encounter the military and find out they are operating against us, we will kill all the hostages," Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Sabaya said in a satellite telephone interview with a Mindanao-based radio station.

Quoting reports of field commanders in Sulu and Basilan, Adan said there were no sightings of the bandits and their hostages in the two provinces, contrary to Sabaya's claim.

"We still believe they're somewhere in the areas from the tip of Palawan to the vicinity of Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi. They are reportedly having difficulty refueling in areas where they are not based," Adan said.

Adan indicated that air and sea search operations for the bandits and their hostages have not yielded positive results.

"Our mission is to rescue the hostages unharmed and to neutralize the kidnappers. The President has ordered us to finish them once and for all," Adan told reporters.

Basilan Rep. Abdulgani Salapuddin said the government should not negotiate with the Abu Sayyaf and vigorously push instead its all-out war against the extremist rebels.

Salapuddin, who was instrumental in the release of 18 high school students who were among a large group of pupils and teachers seized by the Abu Sayyaf from two schools in Basilan after a failed attack on military detachments, indicated that the bandits were only after money and had no political agenda.

Both the Moro National Liberation Front, which has signed a peace accord with the government, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is still waging a secessionist war in Mindanao, have volunteered to help track down the kidnappers.