AFP chief says ‘qualified’ informants to get reward

MARAWI CITY—The $5 million that the United States government has offered as bounty for the head of Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon and the separate reward of P10 million from the Philippine government will go to “qualified, deserving informants,” the Armed Forces chief of staff, Gen. Eduardo Año, said.

Año told reporters on Monday that the reward offer by the United States would be released to informants who led the military to Hapilon after undergoing a process, including DNA confirmation.

“It will go through a process. We have qualified informants, who are deserving to receive the reward. We will follow the US process,” Año said.

Hostage’s info

He did not say who would get the bounty. But Año said the building, where Hapilon and Omar hid, was identified with the help of information from rescued hostages—including a woman who was plucked out of the battle zone a few days earlier.

“The information [from the woman] validated what we already have,” he said.

As for the P10 million offer from the Philippine government for Hapilon’s head and the separate P5 million offered for Maute’s arrest or death, Año said the process might be easier because authorities had already confirmed the terror leaders’ deaths.

“It would be easy for us and they (informants) can get the reward very soon,” he said, without specifying any recipient.

Hapilon, the emir of the Dawlah Islamiyah in the Philippines, and Maute were killed in an early morning assault by government troops on Oct. 16 as they were trying to escape from the main battle area in Marawi.

Accomplishment

“This is the accomplishment of the whole [Armed Forces of the Philippines], including the Philippine National Police. I do not take it as a single accomplishment. In fact, I cannot do this without the help of our ground commanders,” Año said. —JEOFFREY MAITEM