ZAMBOANGA CITY – A southern Philippine town mayor has accused the military of colluding with the notorious ISIS-linked Abu Sayyaf group and said some officers had partaken from ransoms paid for the freedom of some of its hostages.
Mayor Hussin Amin, of Jolo town in the Muslim province of Sulu, also said the military has been using some Abu Sayyaf members as their “assets” a slang to refer to spy or informant.
He asked the government to investigate military officers in cahoots with the enemies and for the Armed Forces of the Philippines to conduct a loyalty check among its ranks.
“Mga scalawags, eh dapat nga huwag na lang patago, kung meron, imbestigahan, oo na andoon na ang ransom, pero imbestigahan kung sino ba ito? Sino ba ang kumikita sa ransom? Hindi naman Abu Sayyaf. Iyan ang mga grupo na sabi iisa lang, ngayon dumadami na dahil may mga andiyan, ay ginagawang asset doon, sinasabing hindi nila asset, alam naman ng military yan,” he told television giant ABS-CBN.
Amin, a former judge in Jolo before he became a politician, said the Abu Sayyaf may be getting support or informAtion from scalawagS within the military.
“These are the people who are in connivance with the scalawags in the military kaya malakas ang loob. Sabihin na ba ang totoo kung mayroon man ransom, dapat alamin kung sino ba ang gumagawa ng ransom. Sino ba ang kumikita sa ransom, dapat dito ikulong,” Amin said.
Amin, a former congressman, also said that a colonel in the military benefited from ransoms paid for the release of Dr. Alberio Canda who was kidnapped in Sulu in 2004 and freed a month later. He said a congressional inquiry into the kidnapping showed the alleged involvement of the military officer.
“It is on the record sa Congress, na in-connivance sa chief of Intelligence sa Sulu, nag-conduct kami ng investigation nang kinidnap si Dr. Canda. Kumita ang isang colonel, yung may kahati siya. Nasa Congress yan kaso hindi man lang nila binibigyan ng atensyon. Dapat huwag na lang itago ba,” he said.
The military’s Western Mindanao Command quickly denied the accusations and challenged Amin to prove his allegations.
“Well, that’s his allegations. He has to prove that. Kung meron, bakit hindi niya sabihin sa amin? Yan ang mga hindi dapat nangyayari, yung mga ganyan, within the organization, it makes the organization suffer. Sundalo ka tapos ganoon ang gagawin mo, napakasakit naman noon,” Major Felimon Tan, a military spokesman, told ABS-CBN.
There was no immediate reaction from President Aquino – the Commander-in-Chief – on Amin’s allegations or whether the Armed Forces of the Philippines will investigate these accusations. (Mindanao Examiner)
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