One week needed to confirm ‘Sobero remains’

It will take at least a week to confirm whether recently discovered skeletal remains in Basilan are those of an American hostage whom Abu Sayyaf bandits claim they killed on June 11, according to National Security Adviser Roilo Golez.

Golez made the assessment as the military announced that 21 Abu Sayyaf bandits have been killed while 17 government troopers were wounded in fierce fighting that erupted in Basilan over the weekend.

Armed Forces Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu said as of 10:45 a.m. yesterday, the bandits have sustained at least 21 wounded, including bandit leader Isnilon Hapilon, in ongoing fighting at Barangay Balatanay, only seven kilometers from Basilan’s capitol of Isabela City.

Cimatu said 18 hostages still being held by the bandits, including American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham, have been sighted but the Southcom chief refused to hint at their location for operation purposes.

On Friday, three captured bandits led government troopers to a shallow grave in the jungles of Basilan where, they claimed, the remains of Guillermo Sobero of Corona, California were buried after he was beheaded on June 11.

Golez said he has told a brother of Sobero, who rang up the national security chief, that nothing is certain until forensic tests are completed.

"There is no confirmation yet because that is based on the story of a rebel who says he himself executed Sobero," Golez told ABS-CBN television. Some military officials said there is a high probability the bones are Sobero’s.

Military intelligence officials in Southcom headquarters in Zamboanga City showed reporters on Sunday two leg bones and smaller bone fragments, a tattered, muddy striped shirt bearing a "Made in USA" tag, a pair of flower-print shorts, blue plastic sandals, a nylon cord believed to have been used to tie Sobero’s hands, and a piece of clothing apparently used as gauze.

Officials, however, said the bones were incomplete and authorities are still conducting a continuing search for other bone fragments.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Jose Mabanta said elements of the 32nd Infantry Battalion found yesterday morning a skull that may belong to Sobero at Punoh Ulayan in Basilan Peak, near the shallow grave.

US officials were to travel to Zamboanga City to make an initial examination of the remains that will then be brought to Manila for further checks, military officials said.

Sobero was with the Burnhams and 17 Filipinos who were kidnapped by the bandits in a daring raid on an island resort off Puerto Princesa City on May 27.

They were then taken by boat to Basilan where the bandits dragged them through mountain and jungle terrain.

Abu Sayyaf leader Aldam Tilao, alias Abu Sabaya, claimed on June 12 that Sobero had been beheaded as an "Independence Day gift" for President Arroyo who had laid down a no-negotiations policy and ordered the military to hunt down the bandits and rescue their hostages.

Cimatu said the very group holding the Burnhams and other Filipino hostages are the ones now engaged in a running gun battle with government troopers in a large coconut plantation in Balatanay.

"We confirm that the group is the one headed by Khadafy Janjalani and, based on reports we received, Isnilon Hapilon is among the wounded," Cimatu said.

AFP chief Gen. Diomedio Villanueva said instructions have been issued to pursuing troops to ensure the safe recovery of the hostages.

"The safety of the hostages have been properly taken care of. Our troops have been given instructions," Villanueva told Camp Aguinaldo reporters.

The military has also halted its air strikes in support of ground forces in Balatanay due to inclement weather in the area.

"Our operations have been limited to ground movements due to bad weather but we have been trained for this. Our troops still have high morale," Villanueva said.

Cimatu, however, refused to consider the bandits as having been cornered.

"The battlefield is a large coconut plantation so our cordon is not that tight," he said, adding that some bandits have also been sighted in mangrove areas.

Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan, however, vowed that the bandits are not likely to be able to escape from the island since there are no pump boats in the area and a Navy gunboat is patrolling the coastline precisely to prevent the bandits’ escape.