Breathe a Sigh of Relief
The death of Dutch birdwatcher Ewold Horn who is the last foreign hostage of the Abu Sayyaf brings to light the determination and relentless pursuit operation of elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) against the bandit group who it would appear is slowly being decimated to the last man.
A closer look at what happened revealed that the violent encounter that led to the death of Horn as well as Mingayan Sahiron, wife of Abu Sayyaf top leader Radullan Sahiron, started when soldiers from the 32nd Infantry Batallion of the AFP encountered the band of Abu Sayyaf in Sitio Bud Sub-Sub, Barangay Pansul in Patikul town.
Ordinarily, the public is not privy to much of the details in such combat operations of the AFP considering the operational security at stake.
However, we do get a glimpse of the persistent efforts by our soldiers to finally put a stop to the bandit group. The encounter itself, which probably was a running gun battle, reveals how the Abu Sayyaf has abandoned their lairs and had been reduced to scampering to safety 24/7 hoping to stay one step ahead of their pursuers.
But most definitely with the way the AFP has been conducting their operations to exterminate the Abu Sayyaf time is certainly running out for the criminal gang and in all probability their end would mark another accomplishment for the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
However, the question that needs to be asked is how come, even in their reduced operational capability as claimed by the AFP, the Abu Sayyaf continues flex their influence in their so called stronghold in the Sulu Archipelago.
A way must be found to permanently end such audacity by this bandit group and one suggestion is to use the newly acquired patrol boats and gunboats of the AFP to vigilantly patrol the coastal areas where these bandits operate.
Another suggestion is to put up a permanent military bases in areas that were once controlled by these ragtag group of bandits to guarantee that they are denied any opportunity of returning to their lairs.
One problem that was raised in running after these bandits is the presence of so many coastal communities in the Sulu archipelago wherein they could hide and operate.
Another problem is their penchant of sharing their loot with the local populace who had been neglected previously by the government and who see these bandits as robin hoods.
The suggestion to solve the first problem is to simply use the martial law powers of the president in blanketing and saturating with as many soldiers as possible the entire Sulu Archipelago in order to flush out these Abu Sayyaf.
A massive presence of army soldiers will certainly put the fear into the hearts and minds of these criminals. If before there are 10,000 soldiers pursuing the Abu Sayyaf the AFP should make it 50,000 soldiers to ensure that every nook and cranny of the Sulu Archipelago is patrolled and inspected.
For the second problem a suggestion is also to pour massive amounts of national and local government assistance and projects to the Sulu area to fast track the development of the communities in the area.
In both of these concerns the former muslim rebels comprising the Moro Islamic Liberation Front can be looked upon as an ally that can infiltrate the communities in Sulu and begin persuading and convincing the local inhabitants to turn away from supporting and being sympathizers of the Abu Sayyaf.
It is time for the AFP to really own the sea, land and air in the Archipelago of Sulu and whatever lair and stronghold the Abu Sayyaf claims to still own until the moment when these bandits are finished and everybody in the South can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Sa eleksiyon, sino ba ang talunan?
June 10, 2019
