Two Irreconcilable Versions of Reality

Four Near Simultaneous School Invasions with Abductions of School Children---Why That's Almost As Good As Four Near Simultaneous Cockpit Intrusions!

Reporting on March 21, 2000, which was Abu Sayyaf's publicity launch date into the terrorist big time, when the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and the Manila-based BusinessWorld, duke it out in a zombie dance-off, (mixing my Michael Jackson with my Mohammad Ali.) You get to decide who's the thrilla telling the truth.

These two dailies relied on different military spokesmen to arrive at different "slants" on the news. Armed Forces spokesman Col. Rafael Romero informed Cathy Rose A. Garcia, of BusinessWorld, while Lt. Col. Hilario Atendido, chief of Civil Military Operations of the Southern Command, was the source of information for the Ma/Alipala-Inot/Balana article in the Inquirer, with a third article in the Philippine Star also sourced to Lt. Col. Atendido.

Comparing them side by side, it isn't hard to see where the liberties were taken, turning second-hand reports of staged action into a coherent semblance of descriptive narrative---so-called news---which really is manipulative propaganda instead of fact or truth.

The major discrepancy between the two stories is Romero's description in BusinessWorld of an invasion by rebels on the Catholic-run Claret High School in Tumahubong on Basilan island, which resulted in four individuals being taken hostage, while the Atendido version, in the Inquirer and Star articles, describes a mass abduction of 47 adults and students from Claret, then combines it with news of a second school assault elsewhere "later on the same day," which is an odd way of saying "yesterday afternoon."

Somewhere along the line these two school kidnappings turned into FOUR school kidnappings, and I defy a journalism professor to reconstruct how the public was informed of this, rather shocking, development.

However, though the lead paragraph in Tuesday's article in the Inquirer says the attack occurred "yesterday," that might not be what really was meant. That following Friday, an article in the Inquirer, "Cops rescue 2 teachers from Basilan abductors," about the repatriation of two other teachers from an earlier abduction from a different school, (the first in a series of now five) described what up until then must have seemed like a nonsensical idea---kidnapping poorly paid school teachers with a thought of some gain in ransom. A dozen paragraphs down, with the turn of a "meanwhile," the article updates reader's on that week's new hostage taking, recapping:

Renegade Abu Sayyaf rebels on Sunday stormed a Catholic and a government high school on Sunday after a failed attack on a military outpost on the island of Basilan..."

What appears to be a double editing error---twice saying "Sunday," instead of "Monday"--might just as likely have been the editor's intention, as a sort of amends, for having failed to properly specify the journalistic "when" on the first write up. But this repetition served to catch the eye, as it did mine.

The reporter's lack of original forthrightness now serves to highlight several issues attaching to this information, not the least of which is why the apparent delay in getting the terrifying news of an pre-9:00 a.m. Sunday morning attack into the Monday morning or afternoon newspapers. While it is uncertain for Westerners to project their concepts of how such Third-World public and parochial facilities are likely to be utilized then, I can say with assurance from attendance at Catholic church in my youth, and that Sunday mornings are a priest's busiest time. Why Fr. Gallardo would be wearing his principal's cap then (along with a full compliment of teachers on hand, too) is difficult to understand.

A timeline for Abu Sayyaf maintained online by CBS News clarifies that this "attack" was on Monday morning, March 20, 2000, but it also is an egregious example of shameful manipulation of non-facts, the start-up of a larger story about a worldwide Islamic menace, leading to 9/11 and beyond, with the deliberate and malicious inflammation of religious hatred between Muslims and Christians based on a lie:

Fifty-three hostages - including 22 school children, five teachers and a priest - are seized from two Christian schools in Basilan after Abu Sayyaf failed in an attempt to take an army outpost. The rebels subsequently release 20 hostages in exchange for food and medicine. Two male hostages are later beheaded by the terrorists during negotiations and four more are killed by their captors during a rescue attempt by the Philippine military.

Not only were both schools not "Christian," the Claret High School itself could only be described as "Catholic-run" since practicing Muslims attended it, and were among the group of students taken hostage.

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March 21, 2000, BusinessWorld, Second abduction by Abu Sayaff this month; Moro terrorists abduct Basilan priest, teacher, by Cathy Rose A. Garcia,

Suspected Moro terrorists belonging to the Abu Sayaff abducted a Catholic priest, a private high school principal, a high school teacher and a student in Basilan yesterday. Initial reports from the Armed Forces Southern Command based in Zamboanga City identify two of the abduction victims as priest Ruel Gallardo and principal Reynaldo Rubio.

The teacher and the high school student who were also abducted, both from the Catholic-run Claret High School, are still to be identified. Their abductors reportedly retreated towards the direction of Bgy. Sukatin. They have yet to demand for ransom for the release of the victims.

Meanwhile, the Southern Command also reported that around 60 Abu Sayaff members attacked an Army detachment in Bgy. Tumahubong in Sumisip, Basilan at around 8 a.m. yesterday.

The firefight lasted for about 30 minutes, the command said. In its report, it also said the attack could have been a diversion to minimize military attention on the abduction.

Two soldiers were reportedly injured in the firefight. Meanwhile, Armed Forces spokesman Col. Rafael Romero tried to downplay the apparent increase in Abu Sayaff-initiated abductions in Mindanao.

The military earlier declared the Abu Sayaff a "spent" force, after the death of its leader in 1998. "I think the Abu Sayaff is still a force to reckon with, although they have dissipated in numbers. We continue to recognize the Abu Sayaff as a threat," Mr. Romero told reporters at the military headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

The Abu Sayaff strength is placed at 1,000 members. Yesterday's abduction was the second time this month by the Abu Sayaff group. On March 9, Abu Sayaff members abducted two public school teachers in Zamboanga City. Mr. Romero said members of the 10th Infantry Battalion have been deployed to hunt down Abu Sayaff members. -- Cathy Rose A. Garcia

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"And in this corner..."

Google Newspaper Hardcopy: Philippine Daily Inquirer - Mar 21, 2000



March 21, 2000, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Page 3, Abu Sayyaf rebels seize 2 Basilan schools, by Jonathan Ma and Julie Alipala-Inot, PDI Mindanao Bureau; Cynthia Balana;

ZAMBOANGA CITY--Heavily armed Abu Sayyaf rebels attacked an Army outpost and two schools in Tumahubong, Basilan, yesterday, wounding two soldiers and taking an undetermined number of people hostage, including a priest and several teachers and students, the military said.

Lt. Col. Hilario Atendido, chief of Civil Military Operations of the Southern Command, said the guerrillas first attacked the Alpha company detachment of the Army's 10th Infantry Battalion in Tumahubong, at 8:20 a.m., triggering a 30-minute firefight in which two soldiers were wounded.

Retreating rebels then barged into the Claret High School, run by the Claretian Missionary Fathers, seizing Father Roel Gallardo and the school principal Reynaldo Rubio, five other teachers and 40 students, Atendido said. The group later released 20 students in several areas, he said.

Later on the same day, another group of Abu Sayyaf rebels swooped down on Sinangcapan public high school in Tuburan town, taking 11 students hostage, military reports received here said.

"The groups holding the students and teachers are (led by) Abu Sayyaf leaders Insilon Hapilon and Kadafi Janjalani," Atendido said.

"We believe they released some of the hostages because they felt they cannot run away faster," he added.

Rangers and Marines

Atendido said some 100 troops, including elite Army Scout Rangers and Marines, have been dispatched to rescue the hostages. Naval blockades have also been set up around Basilan island to prevent the group from slipping out.

It could not be determined exactly how many hostages the rebels are holding.

Abu Ahmad, Abu Sayyaf spokesperson, told Radyo Agong yesterday afternoon that the group had freed 60 of the students at around noon.

He also disclosed that Al Haratul Islamiya was the new name of the Abu Sayyaf group, which he said was now headed by Khadaffi Janjalani, the brother of Abu Sayyaf leader Abdurajak Abubaker Janjalani, who was killed in December 1998.

Almad demanded 200 sacks of rice, medicines and female doctors as ransom. He also asked for representatives from the Red Cross and the media.

The Abu Sayyaf, a shadowy group blamed for bombing Christian targets in southern Philippines, made its move amid widespread skirmishes in Mindanao involving the military and the Moro separatist group operating in the south.

Police depot bombing

Last month it simultaneously bombed two police stations and a restaurant in Basilan, wounding 17 people and killing one.

It had threatened to launch a Muslim holy war or "jihad" against Catholic priests and nuns in the south if they did not renounce their faith and convert to Islam.

"We suspect the latest abduction was a coordinated attack against students, priests and teachers (in Basilan)," provincial police director Supt. Akmadul Pangambayan said.

Fr. Angel Calvo of the Claretian Fathers said reports reaching them from Tumahubong indicated Gallardo and Rubio had been handcuffed and that Father Gallardo was wounded.

The Claret teachers who were abducted were identified as Marissa Rante, Annabel Mendoza and Winifer Silorio, who is reportedly five months pregnant.

Meanwhile, five civilians, a government militiaman and an MILF rebel were slain in an MILF raid near the town of Tagoloan in Lanao del Norte on Saturday, southern Philippines military commander Maj. Gen. Diomedio Villanueva told reporters.

He said the attack occurred amid a rebel siege of the nearby town of Kauswagan, 20 kn west of Tagoloan.

That attack left at least 21 rebels, nine soldiers, three government militiamen and a policeman dead by military count.

Villanueva said two militiamen were wounded in the Tagoloan raid, in which the raiders took eight civilians hostage in their retreat. Six of the hostages were later freed unharmed. --Jonathan Ma and Julie Alipala-Inot, PDI Mindanao Bureau; Cynthia Balana; with a report from AFP

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In 80 words, Agence France Presse splits the difference, calling the early morning raid on an army outpost the precipitating event, after which, "as they beat a retreat," the rebels stopped to round up three civilian adults and one student, which at least is rational. The Philippine Headline News posted the same day an article saying extremist guerrillas seized 77 people from two schools for use as "human shields," releasing 50 of the students later in the day. But the timing and makes no sense for guerrillas in full retreat. If you really want to slow things down, try rounding up a group of elementary school children.

March 21, 2000, AFP / The Straits Times, Page 28, Four Abducted by Muslim Rebels,

Muslim extremist rebels attacked an army outpost and a Catholic school in the southern Philippines yesterday, wounding two soldiers and abducting four civilians, the military said,

A Catholic priest, the school principal, a teacher and a student had been seized by the rebels, who belonged to the Abu Sayyaf group, as they beat a retreat following an attack on the army detachment near the town of Sumisip on the island of Basilan, the military said. ---AFP

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March 21, 2000, Philippine Headline News, Abu Sayyaf Rebels Take 77 Hostages in Basilan,

Zamboanga City, March 21, 2000 - Extremist guerrillas belonging to the Abu Sayyaf group attacked an Army outpost early yesterday in Basilan and seized 77 people, including a priest and students from two schools, the military said.

About 60 rebels attacked the outpost in Tumahubong, Sumisip town, said Col. Hilario Atendido, civilian-military relations chief of the military's Southern Command.

50 of the students were later freed by the rebels, who were led by commanders Isnilon Hapilon and Khadafy Montaño Janjalani, brother of slain Abu Sayyaf chieftain Ustadz Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani.

The rebels entered a Catholic high school and seized the parish priest, Rev. Roel Gallardo, director of the Claret High School; school principal Reynaldo Rubio, six teachers and 39 students, the military said.

Other rebels seized seven elementary and four high school teachers from the Sinangkapan National High School in nearby Tuburan town, Atendido said. One of the teachers was later rescued by soldiers.

The rebels are using the students and teachers as "human shields" against pursuing soldiers, the military said.

They later released 20 students unharmed.

The rebels refused to negotiate with the police and the military, but asked for a doctor and wanted to talk with reporters, said Alan Cajucom, head of the local Red Cross chapter.

Cajucom said the rebels, who called from a cellular telephone, did not state any immediate demands.

The Abu Sayyaf was also suspected in the abduction last week of two elementary school teachers in a village in Zamboanga City. The teachers are still being held.

The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for numerous attacks against Christians, including foreign missionaries, in Mindanao.

I found this text maintained in an archive at the Alternate Forum for Research in Mindanao. It's attributed to the AP, and staff reporters Roel Pareño, Alvin Tarroza, and Paolo Romero. But I noticed that this same document at the philstar.com web page has had its author credits removed from the end of the article, and I wondered if there was anything unworthy enough about it for it to be de-attributed, in which case, I naturally wanted to draw attention to it March 21, 2000, The Philippine Star, Abu Sayyaf rebels take 77 people hostage in Basilan, ZAMBOANGA CITY -- A group of Muslim extremist guerrillas attacked an Army outpost early yesterday in Basilan and seized 77 people, including a priest and students from two schools, the military said. About 60 members of the Abu Sayyaf rebel group staged the attack on the outpost in the village of Tumahubong in Sumisip town, said Col. Hilario Atendido, civilian-military relations chief of the military's Southern Command. Atentido said about 50 of the students were later freed by the rebels, who were led by commanders Isnilon Hapilon and Khadafy Montaño Janjalani, brother of slain Abu Sayyaf chieftain Ustadz Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani. As the rebels fled from pursuing troops, some swooped down on a Catholic high school and seized the parish priest, the Rev. Roel Gallardo, director of the Claret High School; school principal Reynaldo Rubio, six teachers and 39 students, the military said. Five of the teachers were identified as Annebelle Mendoza, Marissa Mante, Winiefer Hilario, Nourhaida Kotoh and Ernesto Arellano. Other rebels seized seven elementary and four high school teachers from the Sinangkapan National High School in nearby Tuburan town, Atendido said. One of the teachers was later rescued by soldiers. The rebels apparently seized the students and teachers to use them as "human shields" against pursuing soldiers, Atendido said. They later released 20 students unharmed, he said. The rebels refused to negotiate with the police and the military, but asked for a doctor and wanted to talk with reporters, said Alan Cajucom, head of the local Red Cross chapter. Cajucom said the rebels, who called from a cellular telephone, did not state any immediate demands. The Abu Sayyaf was also suspected in the abduction last week of two elementary school teachers in a village in Zamboanga City. The teachers are still being held. The attack in Basilan came as troops pursued guerrillas of another Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, who attacked military outposts in four towns in Lanao del Norte province on the southern island of Mindanao. Clashes that followed those attacks left more than 80 guerrillas and 11 soldiers dead. Seven civilians also were killed, officials said. The Office of Civil Defense said the fighting has forced more than 7,500 people to flee their villages in four Lanao del Norte towns. The evacuees were given shelter in school buildings, it said. Lanao del Norte Gov. Imelda Dimaporo said the number of evacuees could be bigger since three other towns were not included in the civil defense list. She did not give details. She said Muslim vendors in the capital of Tubod have left the town for fear of retaliation from Christian residents. The Abu Sayyaf, the smaller of two Muslim rebel groups, has been blamed for numerous attacks against Christians, including foreign missionaries, in the southern Philippines. -- AP, Roel Pareño, Alvin Tarroza, Paolo Romero

On November 22, 2009, to mark the occasion of yet another completely gratuitous abduction of school personnel, in this case, principal Gabriel Canizares, who was beheaded without a ransom demand being made, the Philippine Daily Inquirer got one of their young researchers, Schatzi Quodala, to dig into their files and come up with a compilation of nine years of similar kidnappings. (For a real understanding of the teacher-priest kidnap dyadic she should have gone back at least to 1995.) The article's title, Is this any way to treat our teachers?, sounds almost like an echo of President George Bush's "Is our children learning yet?

According to Quodala, who names the 22 adults taken hostage from four separate schools, all 21 of the unnamed pupils held hostage were taken from a single location: the Sinangkapan Elementary School in Tuburan town. But then Quodala's timeline lists the Basilan school abductions as occurring over a range of three days:

March 20-22—Teachers were abducted from four schools in Basilan.

Seized at the Tumahubong East Elementary School were school supervisor Juanito Arellano and teachers Nurhaida Katoh, Saida Sahirin, Nita Abajud, Macario Mandun, Abubakar Denil, Sahijain Saijan and Haiba Muslimin.

Abducted at the Sinangkapan Elementary School in Tuburan town were 21 pupils and teachers Nelson Enriquez, Laida Adjun, Teresita Academia, Erlinda Manuel, Editha Lumome and Albert Sahao.

At the Sinangkapan National High School, the rebels seized teachers Ruben Democrito, Rodolfo Irong and Dante Uban.

They also abducted at the Claret High School Fr. Roel Gallardo, school director and parish priest; Reynaldo Rubio, principal; and teachers Winifer Silorio, Annabel Mendoza and Marissa Rante.

April 19—Dante Uban and Nelson Enriquez were believed beheaded as the Abu Sayyaf’s "birthday gift" to President Joseph Estrada. Their headless bodies were found on May 6.

May 3—The military rescued six kidnapped teachers. Three others were killed. Survivors said the rebels executed Claret’s Gallardo and Mendoza, Sinangkapan High School teacher Democrito and Sinangkapan Elementary School teacher Lumome.

July—Sinangkapan Elementary School teachers Academia and Manuel were released by the Abu Sayyaf.

What really makes this story start to get manageable are the logistics on an island location with just a single substandard ring road circumnavigating the coastal regions (Incomplete as of 2000. The American military brought in heavy equipment to finish it, after they'd gotten their "right-of-way")  Access roads into the mountainous "hinterland" interior of the island would be lucky to be roughly graded in the dry season.








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November 22, 2009, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Is this any way to treat our teachers?

GABRIEL CANIZARES was by no means the first teacher in the Philippines to be abducted and beheaded.
On May 6, 2000, the headless bodies of teachers Dante Uban and Nelson Enriquez of Sinangkapan High School and Sinangkapan Elementary School, respectively, were found in Basilan. They were reportedly beheaded as the Abu Sayyaf’s “birthday gift” to then President Joseph Estrada.

Kidnapping teachers for ransom doesn't make sense. Everybody knows teachers barely make enough to tide them over until the next paycheck. How can their families be expected to afford the ransom?

Gabriel Canizares was the family’s breadwinner. It was impossible for his parents and siblings to raise the P2 million demanded by his abductors, even if they begged, stole and borrowed.

In a decent society, civilians are not attacked purposely even in times of war. Teachers are civilians. On top of that, they are civilians with a mission, which is to guide the young through the maze that leads to a vault of values that human beings need to get along with one another, to a chest of stories, art, music and other treasures that make life worth the stay and, if he is a good teacher, to a well of wisdom.

Don’t terrorists have children who need teachers? Or have they stopped sending their young to school because they think all their children need is hands-on training on how to fire a gun or sever a head?

The following list, which goes back to the year 2000 only, reveals that teachers in Mindanao have been easy prey. Read it and weep.

2000: 37 reported victims

March— Two teachers were abducted by gunmen who barged into a public school building in the village of Kabaluay on the outskirts of southern Zamboanga City, police said.

March 9—Teachers Leticia Calo and Maybelyn (Nevelyn) Apolinario were abducted by four gunmen. They were rescued March 22.

March 14—Teacher Cecille Fermace was abducted outside a public elementary school in Kabuntalan, Maguindanao, and taken away on a motor boat. Another teacher was also seized but managed to escape, according to police. Fermace was released on March 17.

March 15—Unidentified men in Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao took Misuari Sipe, an instructor of the Cotabato City Polytechnic College.

March 20-22—Teachers were abducted from four schools in Basilan.

Seized at the Tumahubong East Elementary School were school supervisor Juanito Arellano and teachers Nurhaida Katoh, Saida Sahirin, Nita Abajud, Macario Mandun, Abubakar Denil, Sahijain Saijan and Haiba Muslimin.

Abducted at the Sinangkapan Elementary School in Tuburan town were 21 pupils and teachers Nelson Enriquez, Laida Adjun, Teresita Academia, Erlinda Manuel, Editha Lumome and Albert Sahao.
At the Sinangkapan National High School, the rebels seized teachers Ruben Democrito, Rodolfo Irong and Dante Uban.

They also abducted at the Claret High School Fr. Roel Gallardo, school director and parish priest; Reynaldo Rubio, principal; and teachers Winifer Silorio, Annabel Mendoza and Marissa Rante.

April 19—Dante Uban and Nelson Enriquez were believed beheaded as the Abu Sayyaf’s “birthday gift” to President Joseph Estrada. Their headless bodies were found on May 6.

May 3—The military rescued six kidnapped teachers. Three others were killed. Survivors said the rebels executed Claret’s Gallardo and Mendoza, Sinangkapan High School teacher Democrito and Sinangkapan Elementary School teacher Lumome.

July—Sinangkapan Elementary School teachers Academia and Manuel were released by the Abu Sayyaf.

June 19—Public school teachers Edna Quimeging and Elizabeth Porfirio were kidnapped in Kalawit, Zamboanga del Norte. They were rescued on Aug. 5.

July 13—Armed men snatched public school teachers Annalyn Cruz, Daisylyn Camacho and Nelson Prantar in a coastal village of Naga, Zamboanga del Sur. Camacho and Cruz were released on Aug. 23. At dawn on July 23, Prantar escaped from his kidnappers.

Aug. 15—Maria Teresa Raz was freed unharmed. She was reportedly kidnapped in Basilan (no information on when she was abducted).

Aug. 23—Suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen snatched Marissa Adjad at the Sulu School of Arts and Trade in Talipao.

Oct. 14—Arvia Abrera was kidnapped by armed men in Basilan.

2002: 4 reported victims

Sept. 13—Luzvillar Castillon, Editha Buntilao, Emma Karaan and Salvacion Miken, teachers at the Mindanao State University (MSU) Integrated Laboratory School, were seized by four armed men in Marawi. They were released on Sept. 25.

2003: 1 reported victim

Feb. 26—Rhede Nelson Manulat, a professor at the MSU, was abducted in Marawi City.

2005: At least 10 victims

April 21—14 people, mostly teachers and students of MSU, were kidnapped while on their way to Marawi City. They were rescued eight hours later.

Dec. 2—Couple Felipe and Helen Lacunias, teachers at the Lanao National College of Arts and Trade in Marawi City, were abducted by two armed men. Moro guerrillas and government forces rescued them on Dec. 4 in Piagapo, Lanao del Sur.

2008: 23 reported victims

Jan. 15—Teacher Omar Taup was snatched by armed men who shot and killed Oblate priest Rey Roda in Barangay Tabawan, South Ubian town. Taup was released sometime in March.

June 8—MSU professor Octavio Dinampo was abducted in Sulu, together with broadcast journalist Ces Drilon of ABS-CBN and her two cameramen. Dinampo was freed June 17.

June 26—21 MSU teachers were kidnapped, but 20 were freed shortly after. One was released in December.
2009: 7 reported victims

Jan. 23—Landang Gua Elementary School teachers Janette de los Reyes, Rafael Mayonado and Freires Quizon were abducted by bandits on their way to work and taken to Basilan. They were freed on May 27.

March 13—Jocelyn Enriquez, Jocelyn Inion and Noemi Mandi were on a motor boat from Bangkaw Bangkaw Elementary School en route to Naga town when abducted by armed men. They were released on
Sept. 23.

Oct. 19—Gabriel Canizares was seized. On Nov. 9, Canizares’ severed head, stuffed in his own backpack, was found outside a gasoline station in Jolo.

Compiled by Schatzi Quodala, Inquirer Research
(Source: Inquirer Archives)

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March 25, 2000, The Philippine Daily Inquirer, page 17, Sayyaf head a gov't agent, says legislator, by Nash B. Maulana, PDI Mindanao Bureau,

Khaddafy Janjalani, the new leader of the Abu Sayyaf, is allegedly a Deep Penetration Agent of the government, Basilan Rep. Gerry Salapuddin said.

Salapuddin said Janjalani and another Abu Sayyaf leader, Edwin Angeles, were arrested on suspicion of being local accomplices to an alleged plot by international terrorists to assassinate Pope John Paul II in January 1995.

"He (Janjalani) was detained without charges and then he escaped 'kuno' (dubiously) or was made to escape. I have no doubt (that) he is a DPA (deep penetration agent) to the Abu Sayyaf," Salapuddin said.

If indeed he escaped, Janjalani remains "untouchable," Salapuddin said. He is now engaged in a copra buy-and-sell business in Isabela, Basilan.

Khaddafy is the younger brother of Abu Sayyaf leader and founder Abdulrajak Janjalani, who was killed in 1997.

In the summer of 1995, Angeles resurfaced and claimed that he was a DPA.

Salapuddin said he had already suspected then that Khaddafy and Angeles were DPA's working for the government intelligence community.

Khaddafy's buy-and-sell business, he said, was being financially supported by one Mr. Tan whom he described as "another DPA."

Khaddafy was familiar to Basilan folk until he gained media notoriety for recently abducting a priest, school children and teachers, demanding food and medicines.

Angeles was shot dead last year, shortly after attending a Muslim Friday congregation at a mosque in Isabela.

Salapuddin, himself a rebel leader during martial law, said the Abu Sayyaf is engaged in "the wrong jihad" (struggle) by resorting to terrorism and "haram" (abominable) activities.

"For God's sake, what would they get from the teachers, a priest and schoolchildren if they want money? These teachers are receiving meager salaries (minus) all the loans that they are paying," he said.

Authorities have linked the Abu Sayyaf to groups that the US State Department consider as international terrorists.

Last month, the US State Department tagged Islamic relief organizations as a "common thread" in international terrorism, according to the New York Times News Service,

Philippine and US authorities had initially named the Rabitatul Alam (World Muslim League), an international Islamic relief group, as having links to international terrorists.

The WML was once headed in the Asia-Pacific region by Jamal Khalifa, a brother-in-law of Bin Laden, whom the US authorities have outlawed for allegedly leading terrorist movements in the West, and the Middle East.

But the Metro Manila-based Moro Human Rights Center expressed doubt that Khaddafy Janjalani's group has connections with well-funded relief institutions like the WML.

Another Abu Sayyaf leader, Jul Jilang, who was arrested in Zamboanga City in 1994, remains unaccounted for, Salapuddin said.

Jilang was reportedly detained at the Southcom in Zamboanga City in 1994.

There were reports that Jilang was seen riding a military vehicle, and on another occasion, disembarking from a Navy boat in Isabela.

View Larger Map

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April 7, 2004, jail break from Isabela City Basilan
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Diigo, April 12, 2004, Manila Bulletin, 19 Basilan jail escapees captured; 8 others killed
8:00 AM,

ISABELA CITY, Basilan (AFP) — Nineteen of 53 prisoners who escaped from a Philippine jail, including several Muslim extremists, have been recaptured and eight others killed by pursuing forces, officials said yesterday.

Twenty of those who bolted Saturday from a provincial jail in Isabela City, the capital of Basilan island, are believed to be rebels from the Abu Sayaff Muslim extremist group, the officials said.

Among those who escaped were Abu Sayaff leaders Abu Black, Abu Burhan, and Abdulaziz Naya. They were awaiting trial for numerous abductions over the years.

"Probably it will take a long time before we get all of them," Basilan Gov. Wahab Akbar said. "But we will not stop the hunt until all prisoners are recaptured."

"I have ordered security forces to shoot and kill the escapees if they fight back."

He said by the latest count, 19 had been recaptured and eight killed, five of whom were suspected Abu Sayaff members.

Twenty-six remain at large in Basilan, an island with large forest cover and a known lair for armed Muslim groups, including the Abu Sayaff.

Provincial officials said a pistol had been smuggled into the jail and was used by a prisoner to seize guns from guards to launch the breakout.

Akbar said initial investigations showed there was "laxity among the guards."

Washington and Manila have linked the Abu Sayyaf to Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Six suspected Abu Sayyaf members were arrested in Manila last month for allegedly planning a "Madrid level" series of bombings targeting shopping malls and railways.

Intensified operations

Combined police and military elements intensified yesterday recovery operations on 31 inmates, including some alleged Abu Sayyaf members, who were among the 53 detainees who bolted the provincial jail in Basilan last Black Saturday, officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) based in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City said.

Military reports said eight inmates — five of them Abu Sayyaf members — were killed when police and military forces responded during the jailbreak situation at the Basilan Rehabilitation Center in Isabela City, Basilan at 11 a.m. last Black Saturday.

Lt. Col. Danilo Lucero, AFP public information officer, said at least 14 escapees have been recaptured, including five Abu members, as of 2 p.m. yesterday.

Military authorities identified the slain Abu Sayyaf members as Abu Ubalda, Mahmud Indama, Siddik Ahamad, and Hussin Indres.

Among the escapees who were killed during the firefight was a certain "Boy Flores," reportedly a murder suspect.

Citing reports from the Armed Forces Southern Command (Southcom) based in Zamboanga City, Lucero identified the recovered Abu members as Guillermo Sabtula Salcedo, 19; Abdul Rahman Ismale Diolagla, 28; Abtullah Apah Masuhod, 31; and Hadji Amir Ngaya, 35.

The other inmate who were recaptured by pursuing government teams included Nelson Ramba Hangad, 33; Buyong Buyong Gasap Isnijal, 30; and Sabtal-al Amsirani Hataman, 29.

Lucero said the escaped Abu Sayyaf suspects were involved in a series of murders and abductions in the island province since 2000.

They were among the bandits who hostaged 43 persons from the Tumahubong East Elementary School, Sinangkapan Elementary School, Sinangkapan National High School, and Claret High School last March 20, 2000.

Among their victims was Fr. Rhoel Gallardo, who was beheaded on May 3 the same year.

The fugitives were also among the bandits that kidnapped 33 people from Barangays Balobo and Bohe Baka in Lamitan, Basilan on Aug. 2, 2001. Ten of the victims were beheaded, eight were released, two escaped, and 12 were rescued by the military.

The most sensational incident involving the Abu Sayyaf fugitives was the Lamitan siege in June 2001.

At least 20 people, including 13 soldiers, were killed while 41 others were wounded after the group seized St. Peter's Church and the Dr. Jose Maria Torres Hospital.

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Diigo, April 11, 2004, The Philippine Star, Black Saturday jailbreak, by Roel Pareño,





ISABELA CITY, Basilan — Eight escapees were killed while nine others were recaptured by the police and military following a mass jailbreak by 53 inmates of the Basilan provincial rehabilitation center here before noon yesterday.




Initial reports said some of the escapees included suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf who are facing charges of kidnapping and murder.




The inmates broke out of their cells after overpowering their guards at the provincial jail in Barangay Sumagdang at about 11 a.m., police said. Three of the guards were shot and wounded during the escape.




Authorities said eight of the escaped inmates were later killed and nine others recaptured, including one of the detainees earlier wounded during pursuit operations jointly launched by the military and police.




At Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero confirmed that five of those who were killed were Abu Sayyaf members.




Lucero also confirmed that 53 of the 137 detainees in the provincial jail joined the mass jailbreak.




Authorities are still hunting down 36 other escapees, some of whom are hardened criminals.




Officials could not say exactly how many of the escapees were members of the Abu Sayyaf, the Islamic extremist group that was once based in Basilan.




The jailbreak came despite tightened security in Mindanao imposed after the killing of senior Abu Sayyaf leader Hamsiraji Sali and five other members of the group also in Basilan on Maundy Thursday.




Police said they are focusing on the possibility that the jailbreak might have been in retaliation for Sali’s death and an effort by the Abu Sayyaf to regroup.




Basilan Gov. Wahab Akbar said the escapees were led by a certain Abu Blak, a sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf, and two alleged cohorts identified as Abdulasis Ngaya and a certain Burhan.




Officials said Blak once tried to break free from his guard during a court hearing but was knocked down by a punch from a government prosecutor.




Akbar ordered the police and jail authorities to shoot any escapee who refuses to surrender.




"There is no negotiation," Akbar said. "In the first place these people bolted their cells."




Akbar personally led joint police-military pursuit operations for the escaped prisoners.




Basilan military commander Col. Reymundo Ferrer said troops have been alerted to prevent the escapees from moving to the Sampinit complex, an Abu Sayyaf stronghold before the group was drive.




Lucero said AFP chief Gen. Narciso Abaya has issued orders for all government troops in Basilan to help the police in the manhunt.




Military units were also directed to block off all exit points in the island province, Lucero said.




Western Mindanao police director Chief Superintendent Servando Hizon said the prisoners rushed at the guards handing out food before grabbing their firearms in making their escape.




Three of the inmates were killed and three guards were wounded in the melee, Hizon said.




"The detainees (were) mostly Abu Sayyaf suspects who were charged by the court for string of cases rushed up the guards feeding them," Hizon said quoting reports from the Basilan provincial police.




Senior Inspector William Gadayan, Isabela City police chief, said their initial investigation indicated a caliber .45 pistol was smuggled into the prison which was used by an inmate to shoot one of the guards on duty.




The prisoners then seized a shotgun and two M-16 rifles equipped with grenade launchers from the two other guards, Gadayan said.




"The 53 inmates overpowered the 21 jailguards," he said.




Hizon added his men took the precautions of pursuing the escaped detainees since some of them were putting up a fight in some areas in the town.




The escaped prisoners then broke up into smaller groups and scattered in different directions, he said.




Officials said the escapees were part of the total of 137 Abu Sayyaf suspects facing criminal charges before the Basilan regional trial court.




Authorities are still trying to determine how many of the escaped inmates were in pre-trial custody and how many have been convicted.




Philippine National Police (PNP) Directorate for Operations chief Director Avelino Razon said pursuit operations are under way against a group 19 escapees who have fled to a mangrove area in Barangay Sumagdang.




Razon said no casualties or injuries were reported on the police and military in the ongoing pursuit operations in the area.




A total of 40 policemen complemented the joint pursuit operations with the military with some militiamen.




Razon said PNP chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. ordered the deployment of additional policemen and coordinate their efforts with the military.




"The PNP chief ordered the Basilan provincial police to coordinate with the Army brigade in the area to conduct manhunt operations against those involved in the Basilan jailbreak," Razon said.




Government troops in the province have been ordered to help in the manhunt.




Troops have been placed on alert against possible retaliatory attacks from the Abu Sayyaf following the death of Sali and five other bandits, Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Roy Kyamco said.




Sali is one of the remaining top leaders of the Abu Sayyaf wanted by the US government for kidnapping and murder of two of its citizens.




The US government posted a reward of $5-million each for the capture of Sali along with Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffi Janjalani, Isnilon Hapilon, and Jainal Antel Sali alias Abu Solaiman. - With Christina Mendez, AFP

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Gunmen storm Zambo school, snatch 3 tutors.

In: Malaya,(Mar 10 2000),p.6.




Gunmen take 2 teachers, farmers.

In: Philipp. dly. inq.,(Mar 11 2000),p.12.




2 kidnappers slain in clash.

In: Philipp. dly. inq.,(Mar 14 2000),p.4.




Cops rescue 2 teachers from Basilan abductors.

In: Philipp. dly. inq.,(Mar 24 2000),p.6.