SAYYAF FACTIONALISM BARED
By ROY C. SINFUEGO
Chief government negotiator Roberto
Aventajado said yesterday that internal factionalism in the Abu Sayyaf is hampering the
speedy release of the remaining 20 foreign and local hostages held in Bandag, Talipao,
Jolo.
The feud among five leaders of
the group is only one of several factors that has affected the bid of the government to
effect the release of the hostages, he said.
Aventajado is the chief
government negotiator with the Abu Sayyaf which has been making various demands from the
government for the release of the hostages.
He said one faction was led by
Commaders Robot and Susokan and another by Commanders Radolan, Abu, and Nadski.
Also yesterday, at Camp Crame
in Quezon City, Aventajado belied reports that one of the preachers of the Jesus Miracle
Crusade led by Bro. Wilde Almeda was beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf who were allegedly annoyed
by their singing.
He quoted Mayor Tamrin Tulawei
of Talipao as saying the beheading is not true.
Barbers
"Jesus Miracle Crusade
leader Wilde Almeda and his 13 preachers deserve equal attention and assistance from the
government should there be a need for it, just like the foreign hostages still being held
by the Abu Sayyaf in their hideouts in Sulu."
Sen. Robert Barbers issued the
statement as Almeda and the 12 other members of the Jesus Miracle Crusade spent their
sixth day in the hinterlands of Talipao, where they are allegedly being held against their
will by the extremist group. The evangelists entered the Abu Sayyaf camp last July 1 to
pray over the mostly 20 foreign hostages there.
The former interior and local
government secretary noted that while Almeda may have breached certain rules by failing to
coordinate with the authorities in moving into the Abu Sayyaf territory, the Jesus Miracle
Crusade members should not be ridiculed or berated because they had only the best of
intentions in doing so.
"All they wanted was to
pray over the hostages, who, at their most trying times, are in need of spiritual
upliftment. Almeda and his 12 followers had so much faith in God that they believe they
can move mountains through prayers. What's wrong with that?" he said.
Instead of belittling the
efforts of the Jesus Miracle Crusade evangelists, Barbers suggested that if the reports
are true that Almeda's group has been kidnapped, the military must start getting its act
together to save them and the other remaining hostages.
No beheading
The Jesus Miracle Crusade
International Ministry issued a statement yesterday denying that one of its members who
joined a peace and prayer mission in an Abu Sayyaf-controlled section in Mindanao has been
beheaded.
Pastor Frank Rola, a deputy of
Wilde E. almeda, head of the ministry, said: "Contrary to the misleading and false
report, all the 13 members of the peace and prayer mission led by Evangelist Almeda
himself are safe and sound."
"In fairness to the
missionaries and their families and the general public who have been suffering from fear
on account of the snsational news reports, let me strongly declare that those reports are
not true," Rola said.
He said he is in touch with the
crusaders every minute every day and there is no such report about the beheading of any
JMCIM member.
Rola said he had a
long-distance talk with Robert Chua, a JMCIM member in Jolo, who vehemently denied the
report of a beheading.
Chua told Rola that through his
own network, he knows that the crusaders are safe. Rola, however, confirmed published
reports that two camps of the rebel group had a misunderstanding due to some Abu Sayyaf
hotheads who wanted to kill the evangelists.
"We thank our God Almighty
for not allowing the evil act to happen," he said.
The new clash was between the
group of Radulan Sajiron, Dr. Abu Jundail, and Nadzmi Saabdula who wanted the evangelists
killed "for creating noise with their spiritual chants and songs," and the
friendly group of Commander Andang and Susukan and Abua Sabaya who treated the Christian
workers as "guests not hostages."
Rola said he evangelist had
earlier sought the approval of Malacañang to undertake the Mindanao peace mission.
"When the Palace did not
act on his proposal, he undertook the prayer and peace mission by himself, armed only with
a tremendous faith in the Lord and a hard decision to bring home the hostages," Rola
said, as he urged the public to pray for them and the hostages too. (Jun Velasco)
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