Bulatlat.com

Basilan Island: Under Siege

Even before US President George W. Bush listed the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) as one of the 27 terrorist groups that must be destroyed, government eyes have already been hot on Basilan, an island province in southern Philippines and the ASG’s stronghold. At least 11 battalions of Army Special Forces, Scout Rangers, Marines and other elite troops of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have been sent to the island since May this year to crush the ASG. But five months and millions of pesos later, the AFP continues to fail to eliminate the bandit group and has only succeeded in causing massive displacement of residents and a host of other human rights violations.

BY ROWENA CARRANZA
Bulatlat.com

Isabela City, Basilan --- When the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) kidnapped 21 tourists, including three Americans, on May 27 this year and took them to Basilan, the Arroyo government immediately sent troops after the bandits. On July 12, it announced a crackdown against the Abu Sayyaf, allowing the military to waive the need for arrest and search warrants when apprehending suspected ASG members. The Department of Justice even issued a memorandum dated July 13 to Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, Chief of Staff Gen. Diomedio Villanueva and “all concerned officers and men of the AFP” on the subject.

A human rights fact-finding, relief and medical mission team, deputized by the Committee on Human Rights of the House of Representatives, recently visited Basilan and discovered that it was not only the ASG that residents fear. In fact, community leaders say, they fear government soldiers as much as they fear the terrorist group.

Human rights abuses

Gumar Mujala, 16, was almost killed by Marine soldiers. Gumar Mujalla and Sahim Hashim, both 16 years old and students of Manggal National High School in Brgy. Manggal, Sumisip town, usually drop by the river after school to bathe and wash clothes. Thus, at around 5 p.m. last August 22, they were walking near the river bank, wearing only briefs, when they heard a sound behind them calling their attention. They saw Marine soldiers standing not more than 100 meters away. Before the boys could react, the soldiers suddenly fired at them. Gumar was hit in the back while Hashim was hit in the left buttock.

“Kahit tumutulo ang dugo, tumakbo kami nang tumakbo hanggang makarating kami sa bahay (Even though we were dripping with blood, we kept on running until we reached our house),” narrated Sahim to Bulatlat.com.

The boys’ parents, however, could not immediately take them to Isabela, the nearest town center which is two hour away from Sumisip and dotted with military checkpoints. To get through the checkpoints, the boys’ parents had to secure an endorsement letter from the commanding officer of the 10^th Infantry Battalion (IB), 11^th Division, Philippine Army. Before that, they went to the boys’ teacher who wrote a letter to the Army official certifying that they were her students. It was past 1 a.m., or eight hours after the shooting, when Sahim and Gumar finally reached Isabela aboard a truck their family rented for P2,500 ($48.84).

The boys and their families’ agony, however, did not end there. The first four hospitals they tried refused to admit them for fear of military reprisal. When they were finally admitted, each family had to pay almost P8,000 ($156.30) in hospital bills for their three-day confinement, aside from the medicine expenses.

Despite their ordeal, Sahim and Gumar were actually more fortunate than some of the Basilan residents.

Nuramun Asamun, 27, resident of Brgy. Camaburingan, Tipo-Tipo town just came out of the hospital after having an operation and was on his way home last June 19 when he stopped by the pharmacy in Lamitan to buy the medicines his doctor prescribed.

A soldier under the IB of the Philippine Army (PA) apparently saw him buy numerous medicines and boarded the jeep that Asamun took. Other passengers testified that upon reaching the army detachment at the junction of Brgys. Sinangkapan and Colonia, Lamitan town, the soldier, who was in civilian clothes, forcibly took the ignition key from the driver to stop the engine and ordered Asamun to alight. Before they could even get inside the detachment, the soldier hit him twice at the stomach while another soldier poked a gun at him.

Asamun, accused of being an ASG member, was taken inside one of the huts in the detachment compound. A few minutes later, the passengers heard two bursts of gunfire. The same soldier then came out, handed over the ignition key to the driver and ordered him to immediately leave.

The following day, Asamun's body was seen being brought on board a police service jeep, bearing torture marks and gunshot wounds.

Massive displacement

The continuous military operations in Basilan have also resulted in the forced evacuation of residents. In Sumisip town alone, seven barangays are currently experiencing massive displacement. Either the residents have either been ordered by the AFP to evacuate or decided to leave voluntarily for fear of being hit by mortar shells or getting caught in the crossfire.

Infant evacuee at the Limbo Candis Elementary School, Sumisip:
Ignorant but not safe from the turmoil.

These areas include: Baiwas, Pamachaken and Central Sumisip, whose residents have all evacuated; and Upper Guiong, Upper Benambengan, Libog and Cabcaben

Many of the evacuees, however, complained not only of displacement but of the looting that AFP soldiers committed.

Residents of Sitio Irreley, Brgy. Central Sumisip, for example, were ordered to evacuate their homes on August 22. Despite their appeals, they were allowed by the military to return only after six days and just for one hour to get some clothes and food. All of them found their houses looted of important belongings, such as jewelry, clothes, food, blankets and kitchen utensils.

Najing Nul, 29, one of the residents, saw her missing side table being used by soldiers in the camp. Another resident, Hadji Marua Atalad, 33, saw the soldiers carrying their family's transistor radio. Witnesses also testified seeing the soldiers staying at the village after the residents evacuated, each hut occupied by at least 30 men.

"Hanggang ngayon hindi kami makabalik. Baka akalain ng mga sundalo, Abu Sayyaf kami. Natatakot din kami sa Abu Sayyaf, baka isipin nilang informer kami ng sundalo (We are scared to return. The soldiers might think we are members of the Abu Sayyaf. We are also scared of the Abu Sayyaf. They might think we are military informers)," residents lamented.

Between the devil and deep blue sea

An unidentified Sumisip evacuee: Scared of both the Abu Sayyaf and the military. Many residents believe that their troubles started with the government’s declaration of state of lawlessness in Basilan. Abdurahman Ampao, Sumisip municipal secretary for seven years, said the present massive militarization is the first in Basilan's history.

"Ngayon, kahit wala kang kinalaman, kahit sibilyan ka, huhulihin ka at ikukulong (Now, even if you are innocent, even if you are a civilian, you may be arrested and jailed)," Ampao said.

Basilan Vice GovernorLucman Ampao, also expressed dismay over Basilan's situation. "Manununog ng bahay ang Abu Sayyaf, pagdating ng sundalo manununog din sila. Saan lulugar ang mga sibilyan? (The Abu Sayyaf burns down our houses. When the soldiers arrive, they burn more houses. Where will the civilians go?)"

The residents themselves are puzzled why the military is taking so long in solving the ASG problem, considering the number of battalions of AFP troops now in Basilan.

"Ang totoo, marami ang nagtatanong kung bakit napakatagal na ay hindi pa masolve-solve ang gulo. Unlike sa ibang lugar, tulad ng Central Mindanao, libo-libong tao ang kalaban, malalakas pa ang armas, hindi gaanong nagtagal at na-overrun ang kampo ng kalaban ng pamahalaan. Sa kaso ng ASG, sabi ng pamahalaan, mga 200 lang sila. Tapos may mga namatay raw, may mga nahuli rin daw, e nadeplete na sana ang number. Ewan kung bakit ang dami nang nahuli, kung abu sayyaf yun lahat, wala na sanang Abu Sayyaf ngayon." (The truth is, many are puzzled why it is taking so long for the ASG problem to be solved. In Central Mindanao, government fought against thousands of enemies armed with high-powered firearms but it did not take it long to overrun the enemy camp. Unlike in the case of ASG, which the government says is only 200. It also claims to have already killed and jailed many Abu Sayyaf members. Based on these, how come the Abu Sayyaf is still here)

Rosad Osamad, 50, believes the AFP is not seriously pursuing the Abu Sayyaf. "Pag sinabi naming nandito ang Abu Sayyaf, sa kabila naman pumupunta ang sundalo. Talagang hindi sila mag-aabot. (If we tell that the Abu Sayyaf went this way, the soldiers go the other way."

The residents even chided President Arroyo: "Kawawa naman ang presidente kasi noong nasa Lamitan nang ma-corner na ang Abu Sayyaf, nakapagsalita siya ng "isang bala na lang kayo." Pero naubos na ang bala hindi pa masolve ang problema. (Poor President Arroyo. When the Abu Sayyaf was cornered in Lamitan, she made a statement that it will take only a bullet to crush ASG. But now, all the bullets have been spent but still the problem remains.) Bulatlat.com

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