MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines’ fight against terrorism could be set back if President Rodrigo Duterte grants amnesty to notorious Abu Sayyaf leader Abduljihad Susukan, who was arrested in Davao City late Thursday, Sen. Panfilo Lacson warned on Saturday.
“If politics and terrorism mix, we all lose. Why? Politics has no logic and terrorism has no reason,” said Lacson, citing an Inquirer report quoting military sources as expressing concern over the alleged amnesty that is part of a surrender deal brokered by Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founder Nur Misuari.
Lacson said the Philippines sent the right message with the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, a measure he sponsored, “but we could be sending the wrong message if we allow politics into the mix, as in the case of Susukan.”
But the controversial antiterrorism law, which was not even debated upon in the House of Representatives, is itself under intense criticism with at least 27 appeals before the Supreme Court against provisions that supposedly violate civil and human rights and, as some petitioners argued, adopt terroristic methods the law was meant to fight.
In the case of Susukan, military officials worried about the international implications of an amnesty because many of the victims in the 34 cases filed against the nabbed terrorist leader were foreigners, mostly Malaysians with some Chinese and Filipinos.
The military was also concerned about reports that Susukan and his followers would be integrated into the armed forces of Misuari, who laid siege on Zamboanga City for 20 days in September 2013 that resulted in the deaths of more than 200 fighters and the dislocation of more than 100,000 residents.
Abduljihad Susukan
Son of Misuari’s adviser
Susukan is a son of deceased Moro rebel Agga Susukan, one of Misuari’s most trusted advisers during the early days of the MNLF rebellion, and Misuari had allegedly offered the younger Susukan his father’s old position if he would surrender to the government.
Abduljahid also had a brother, identified as Mujib Susukan, who was killed in a fight with the military in 2003. Another brother, Almujahid Susukan, was arrested in September 2009.
The military confirmed that they had intelligence reports that Susukan surrendered to Misuari in April and the MNLF brought the terrorist leader to Davao City on Sunday purportedly to fit a prosthetic replacement for his amputated left arm.
Intensified campaign
He was arrested at Misuari’s residence in the city on Thursday night and was brought to the Philippine National Police Custodial Center at Camp Crame in Quezon City on Saturday after undergoing a coronavirus swab test.
Susukan, who was accompanied by his wife Nafrisa, arrived at Camp Crame around 1 a.m. on Saturday after he was flown to Clark International Airport from Davao City on Friday night.
Aside from their concerns over the amnesty, the military was also concerned about retaliatory attacks. Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay has ordered an intensified campaign against the Abu Sayyaf.
“I have directed field unit commanders in Mindanao to further intensify focused military operations to prevent [a] possible retaliation by Idang’s followers and to force them to surrender or face demise,” Gapay said in a statement on Friday.