No Abu Sayyaf gunmen sighted as hunt continues

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—The hunt for Abu Sayyaf gunmen responsible for the deaths of seven Marines, five of whom were beheaded, and the wounding of 27 other soldiers continued on Saturday.

But so far, no further engagement or even a sighting of the Abu Sayyaf extremists, led by Radulan Sahiron and Isnilon Hapilon, has been reported, said Ensign Hari Cunanan, acting spokesperson of the Naval Forces in Western Mindanao.

“There are no significant updates to give but the operation is ongoing in Sulu,” Cunanan said.

He said the only update available as of Saturday was that only four of the 20 Abu Sayyaf gunmen reportedly slain during Thursday’s clash in Patikul had not been identified.

Quoting Naval Forces Western Mindanao commander Commodore Armando Guzman, Cunanan said, “So far, 16 of the 20 killed Abu Sayyaf were already identified.”

Seven Abu Sayyaf gunmen were also wounded, he said.

Military officials maintained that despite the large number of casualties among the Marines, the Sulu encounter was a victory for the military, especially since the soldiers had captured a major Abu Sayyaf camp.

But for the families of the slain soldiers, there was only grief.

Marilyn Loor, the common-law-wife of Corporal Freddie Castellano, said she was baffled by the large number of casualties among the Marines.

“The entire platoon suffered. Most of them wounded, some were dead. What happened?” said Loor, who has a child by Castellano.

She said it was as if the Marines were sitting ducks.

Guzman had earlier said the Marines stumbled on a big group of Abu Sayyaf gunmen in the village of Panglahayan  early Thursday morning.

He said the soldiers were overpowered because of the sheer number of the Abu Sayyaf—reportedly 70 men—but they were not ambushed as earlier suspected.

As this developed, Cunanan said the bodies of the seven fallen soldiers – Second Lieutenant Michael Balabad, Sergeant Desiderio Serdan Jr., Corporals Ramsel Laynesa, Claro Lapasaran III and Castellano; Privates First Class Juanito Evasco and Nico Tinambunan—had been airlifted to Villamor Airbase in Metro Manila from Edwin Andrews Airbase here around 12:45 p.m. Saturday.

Secretary Haroun Alrashid Lucman of the Department of the Interior and Local Government of the  Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao  said Muslims in the region were equally shocked by the beheading of the soldiers.

“It’s a barbaric act that should be condemned by everyone. No religion condones such an inhuman act,” he said.

Lucman said the national government  should once and for all do its best to eliminate the Abu Sayyaf “because this group destroys the economic life of the ARMM, including the social life of the Muslim Filipinos and they give bad image to the ARMM as a whole.”

He said what the national government could also do is deny the Abu Sayyaf support by uplifting the poor condition of Moro communities.

“Because of poverty, some people are easily convinced to support this kind of group. It makes them very vulnerable,” he said.

Father Benifranco Rada, chaplain of the Western Mindanao Command who blessed the bodies of the slain soldiers, said soldiers should not emulate the Abu Sayyaf’s inhumanity and continue to treat perceived enemies with dignity.

“If we stoop to their level, the situation will only get much worse,” he said.

Rada said soldiers should continue to be God-fearing and professional in dealing with the enemies of the state.