PSG probes woman terrorist suspect

The Presidential Security Group (PSG) has taken a keen interest on the case of an arrested mysterious woman believed to be on an intelligence gathering mission in Metro Manila preparatory to attacks by Abu Sayyaf terrorists.

This developed as jail guards assigned to keep watch on Violeta Malikdan claimed she tried to bribe her way out of police custody and return to the luxury and comfort of her room at the posh Manila Hotel.

Chief Superintendent Romulo Sales, deputy director of the National Capital Region Police Office, said the PSG has sent a representative to coordinate with investigators in the light of possible terrorist attacks in Metro Manila.

Police officials were encountering difficulties in handling Malikdan because the detainee would not eat anything but vegetables. "She is a vegetarian and (she is) causing headaches for us," an official said.

Malikdan, arrested on Friday during a raid on her room at the Manila Hotel where she stayed over the past four months, allegedly offered P40,000 to Senior Inspector Tom Tuzon, head of the special mission branch of the Regional Intelligence and Special Operations Office (RISOO) based at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig.

Tuzon said he reported the bribery attempt to his superiors who, in turn, ordered tightening of security for the suspect.

The investigators said Malikdan, in her early 30s and a native of Mindanao, has shown disinterest on the $48,000 confiscated from her during the raid, but was keen on being able to go back to the Manila Hotel where she lived a solitary life in Room 802 since last April until her arrest.

Police have filed a case of illegal possession of ammunition against Malikdan before the Manila Regional Trial Court which set bail for her temporary liberty at P60,000.

The arresting officers said they confiscated from Malikdan the $48,000 in cash, nine 9-mm. bullets and a map of Metro Manila showing locations of vital facilities marked with red ink.

Also found in her room were close to 100 love letters purportedly from an American boyfriend.

Investigators theorized that the marked spots — including the US Embassy, a fuel depot of Caltex Philippines in Pandacan, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) in Malate and the Manila Hotel — were probable targets of terrorist attacks.

With Malikdan’s refusal to cooperate with interrogators, investigators tried to focus their inquiry on the source of her money which was mostly in $100 bills.

Police were also puzzled if Malikdan was simply "disturbed" or was just feigning it to conceal her true identity.

"Agents have been trying to establish her background, her family and relatives, but to no avail. She has given very little information which when verified, yielded negative results," a police official said.

The police have also sought the assistance of the BSP to determine if the dollar bills confiscated from Malikdan were genuine.

They also asked the US Embassy to help in tracing the money trail in a bid to establish if the money was part of ransom payments made to the Abu Sayyaf kidnappers.

The investigators were also checking the list of names and telephone numbers found in Malikdan’s possession to determine if she belonged to any particular crime gang.

Earlier reports had it that Malikdan was a wife of Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Sabaya who was among the leaders of a large band of Abu Sayyaf terrorists that swooped down on the plush Dos Palmas resort in Palawan last May 27 and rounded up 20 guests and workers of the facility.

The hostages, among them American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham of Wichita, Kansas, and American tourist Guillermo Sobero of Corona, California, were taken by boat across a 400-nautical mile sea span to Basilan were they were herded to Abu Sayyaf mountain hideouts.

Most of the hostages have been freed amid rumors of huge ransom payments, while at least four were reported executed, mostly by beheading.

Among those reportedly decapitated was Sobero, whose Filipina fiancee remains in captivity.

Another Abu Sayyaf faction led by Ghalib Andang, alias Commander Robot, raided the famous Malaysian island resort of Sipadan in April last year and seized 19 foreigners, mostly Europeans, and two Filipinos, who were also taken by boat to nearby Sulu island.

The hostages were freed in batches following payments of ransom, mostly in dollars, although authorities refused to confirm it.

Philippine National Police community relations chief Director Thompson Lantion said the probers were also looking into reports that Malikdan was a wife of Sabaya.

Manila Hotel workers said their curiosity was aroused because Malikdan stayed inside her room most of the time, having her food delivered by room service.

The mysterious guest also reportedly promptly paid her hotel accounts in crisp dollar bills.

Sales said the police had no recourse but to return Malikdan’s money since they could not find any evidence showing it was illegally acquired.