There is cause for concern among residents and tourists in Bohol province due to the presence of Abu Sayyaf bandits in the remote town of Inabanga.
So far, at least eight of the Moro bandits have been killed in firefights with security forces.
But there could be many more hiding in the forests of the town which is a mountainous area.
The bandits came in three “kumpit”—speedboats used by Moros for smuggling in the olden days which are now utilized for crimes on the high seas—which landed on the shores of Inabanga.
A kumpit, depending on its size, can carry as many as 30 passengers; the one used in the raid at Dos Palmas in Puerto Princesa had 30 passengers, including the captives.
That’s according to a former captive whose identity I am not disclosing.
If each kumpit carried 10 bandits—a conservative estimate—that would place their strength at 30.
The speedboats were destroyed by government aircraft during the first clash.
Government figures say eight Abu Sayyaf bandits have been killed—four in the first firefight on April 11 and four more on Saturday.
But other reports say 10 bandits have been killed so far.
Be that as it may, if there were 30 bandits who landed on the shores of Inabanga, then there remains a big force which could wreak havoc on the tourist province if they are not stopped.
That’s why President Digong has offered a P1-million reward for each of the remaining bandits.
Since they don’t know the terrain and the local member of the group, Joselito Melloria, has been killed, the remaining bandits are now lost and have no way of escaping.
The security forces have confined their area of movement to the forest of Inabanga.
The town has reportedly become a no-man’s land with no one allowed to get in or out of the area.
But given the inefficiency of the military and police in the past, how long will the tight cordon hold?
If the claim of investigators that Supt. Maria Christina Nobleza went to Bohol to give aid to the remaining bandits turns out to be true, dismissal from the service is too light a punishment.
Nobleza came from Davao City, where she was deputy regional chief of the crime laboratory for the Davao region.
Text messages on her cell phone were telling: she went to Bohol to lend aid to the remaining bandits.
She should not be shown mercy despite her gender; she should be dealt with severely.
Aiding the enemy is a heinous crime.