Respect Sulu folks' rights, church warns
By John Anthony Concepcion
CEBU CITY—The
Catholic Church leadership in Jolo yesterday admitted government forces have violated the
rights of Sulu residents in the ongoing campaign against the Abu Sayyaf terrorists on the
island province.
Despite these
violations, Jolo Bishop Angelito Lampon expressed support for the military’s
continued stay in Sulu but with the advice that soldiers be more careful in the full-scale
campaign to rescue the 17 remaining hostages still being held captive by the terrorists.
This developed as
the military reported a total of 36 encounters in the offensive, which have resulted in
the death of 111 terrorists and four on the government side.
Maj. Gen. Narciso
Abaya, head of Task Force Trident which launched the offensive, told a briefing in
Zamboanga City that of the total encounters, 34 were initiated by the government and two
by the terrorists.
He said that of
the 111 terrorist casualties, 65 were based on body count and the rest from intelligence
reports. The Abu Sayyaf also suffered seven wounded, and the military, eight.
At the House of
Representatives, administration Rep. Roilo Golez (Parañaque) assailed Budget Secretary
Benjamin Diokno for failing to release P90 million in military intelligence funds for use
against the Abu Sayyaf.
This is tantamount
to ordering the military to go to war “practically blind,” Golez charged. “I
think someone is sleeping at the DBM (Department of Budget and Management), someone who is
not sensitive to the safety of the personnel who are fighting for the lives of the
Filipino people,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lampon
said that on the surface, Sulu residents try to live normal lives. “People try to go
about their normal lives as if nothing is happening. But then again, there is fear and
apprehension when they go about their business,” he explained.
Another Jolo
prelate, Fr. Romeo Villanueva, also doubted the capability of the government to locate and
finish the terrorists “once and for all.”
“The enormous
project can be compared to finding needles in a haystack and burning the hay in the
process. Considering the thick forest and massive mountains, can the military, with
all its might, locate and finish the Abu Sayyaf once and for all?” Villanueva asked.
--with Faber Concepcion, Mirasol Ng-Gadil and Maricel Cruz
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