Negotiators still in touch with Abu
JOLO, Sulu—Members
of the government’s disbanded negotiating team are still in regular contact with the
leader of a Muslim rebel group holding five hostages here, officials said yesterday.
About 5,000
military troops have searched for the hostages—an American, three Malaysians and one
Filipino—for 21 days but have been unable to find them in the jungles of this island.
Earlier this week,
soldiers broadened the search to the neighboring provinces of Tawi-Tawi and Basilan,
believing some of the Abu Sayyaf rebels may have escaped.
As troops scoured
the Sulu islands for the rebels and their captives, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM) Gov. Nur Misuari offered anew his services to negotiate with the Abu Sayyaf, as
well as with the mainstream Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Misuari, however,
said he only needs a mandate from President Estrada, designating him emissary to pursue
the peace mandate.
He claimed to have
been in touch with the bigger group’s leadership in the past two weeks.
No sightings
A former member of
the negotiating team said rebel commander Ghalib “Robot” Andang is still in
Jolo. The team, officially disbanded when the military launched its assault Sept. 16, is
maintaining contacts with Andang through go-betweens in case he wants to surrender, he
said.
A satellite
telephone used by Andang is no longer working, said the former negotiator, who spoke on
the condition of anonymity.
The military has
reported no sightings of the five remaining hostages in more than a week despite the
massive assault, which has forced more than 88,000 civilians from their homes.
On Monday, troops
recovered 12 Filipino Christian evangelists held hostage by the rebels after one escaped
and informed the military of the location of the others.
After the rescue,
one of the hostages quoted Andang as saying government chief negotiator Robert Aventajado
and emissaries had taken part of the $15-million ransom paid for Sipadan captives and
foreign journalists taken hostage.
The Jesus Miracle
Crusade apologized a day after and Aventajado yesterday dropped plans to file a libel suit
against the evangelists.
American hostage
Jeffrey Edward Schilling, who is being held by another rebel commander, telephoned the US
Embassy on Sept. 25 and said he had been taken by speedboat to an undisclosed island,
officials said. He said his captors were demanding $10 million for his release.
Yesterday, police
prevented a band of Abu Sayyaf members from leaving Jolo and seized their high-powered
speedboat, officials said.
Police received a
tip from villagers that the rebels were preparing to escape from the town of Parang,
police Supt. Candido Casimiro said.
--AP, with Macon Ramos-Araneta
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