Lamitan folk urge government to extend Balikatan 02-1

LAMITAN, Basilan — Fearing for their safety on the first anniversary of the siege that nearly destroyed their town and ravaged their lives, Lamitan residents asked President Arroyo yesterday to extend the stay of US troops here.

In a petition letter signed by Lamitan parish priest Cirilo Nacorda, the residents said the presence of US troops has brought peace and prosperity back to the strife-torn island.

"We are hoping that this aura of peace will continue, but we are uneasy with the thought that the Americans who are giving us moral and civic support will be leaving after their first stay of six months," they said in a letter to the President which was read in a religious service marking the first anniversary of the Abu Sayyaf raid on a church-hospital compound here.

The Abu Sayyaf has been holding missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham and nurse Deborah Yap hostage for over a year. The Abu Sayyaf also held Guillermo Sobero of Corona, California hostage and later beheaded him. The US government has offered a $5-million bounty for information leading to the capture of the Abu Sayyaf’s top five leaders.

Nacorda and the villagers of Lamitan, however, said that the bounty for the capture of the Islamist group’s leaders is not enough to "directly" secure the release of the Burnhams and Yap. They also fear that the departure of the US troops now stationed in Basilan will leave more people at risk of being kidnapped by the bandits.

"We are insecure with the thought that their absence will bring us back to (square) one," the villagers said.

The appeal comes just as US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz was to arrive in the Philippines for talks with Mrs. Arroyo and assess the progress of the ongoing training exercises in Basilan. He is also expected to meet with Philippine defense officials and personally inspect US troops stationed in Basilan.

Over 1,000 American soldiers are now stationed in Mindanao and their mandate is to assist and train Philippine Army soldiers in counter-terrorism operations until July.

About 160 elite special forces troops and over 300 military engineers are in Basilan.

At 10 p.m. of June 1, 2001, gunfire rent the silent darkness and bullets shredded homes as three jeep-loads of Abu Sayyaf bandits raided the sleepy town of Lamitan with 20 hostages in tow. Villagers were yanked from their sleep and thrown into a nightmare of gunfire and smoke that is now known as the "Siege of Lamitan."

The bandits laid siege to St. Peter’s Church and the Jose Torres Hospital there and the constant hail of gunfire continued well into the next day, as police and soldiers descended on the town in hot pursuit of the bandits.

Despite the intense pursuit and rescue operations, the Abu Sayyaf managed to escape with several hostages, including Yap, the Burnhams and other hostages they snatched from the town.

Four of the hostages taken by the Abu Sayyaf were either rescued by the military or set free by their captors.

Several soldiers were killed in the pursuit and rescue operations, including Lt. Kenneth Bulong and Col. Francisco Bajet. Also killed were four civilians: medics of the Jose Torres Hospital and members of the parish staff.

"We have not fully recovered after that siege because there is still fear among the people," Nacorda said.

Nacorda and the townsfolk of Lamitan commemorated the first anniversary of the siege with a Mass and memorial service for Bulong and Bajet.

During the Mass, which was heavily guarded by US and Filipino soldiers, Nacorda also read a chronology of events based on the accounts of Lamitan villagers of that day and unveiled a marker that was erected between the church and the hospital. The marker bears a chronology of the siege and will serve as a memorial to those who were killed that day. The cleric and his congregation also prayed for the release of the Burnhams and Yap.

In an earlier Mass celebrated at the same church, which had been heavily damaged by gunfire, helicopter rocket blasts and grenades, Fr. Rene Enriquez wept. Enriquez recalled that Gracia Burnham asked him "to pray for us" before the bandits escaped with her, her husband Martin and Yap.

"Nakabangon kami nang kaunti, medyo tahimik na ngayon ang Lamitan (We are slowly starting to recover, Lamitan is quieter now)," Nacorda said. However, Nacorda is not satisfied with the outcome of the inquiries of both the House and the Senate into allegations of collusion between the military and the Abu Sayyaf.

Meanwhile, a middle-level Abu Sayyaf leader was killed by military agents during a raid in a remote village here yesterday afternoon.

Military spokesman Col. Roland Detabali identified the slain terrorist as Bakkal Hapilon, a brother of Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon.

"We still feel threatened," said housewife Socorro Espiritu, who lives in Balobo, a poor Lamitan farming village where the Abu Sayyaf beheaded 10 men during a rampage last Aug. 2.

"There are many who testified against the (bandits) for that attack and they could return anytime to silence those who’re willing to talk," Espiritu said.

One of Yap’s sons, Jay Anthony, painted a wall and bench at their shanty, preparing for his mother’s homecoming, should the Abu Sayyaf follow through with its plans to release the captive nurse. "I know she is very, very tired by now. She should be freed by the (Abu Sayyaf) soon," he said, adding that he no longer has any pictures of his mother as they had all been taken by visiting journalists who did not return the photos.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued in Singapore, Wolfowitz said American troops are likely to remain in the Philippines to continue helping in the battle against the Abu Sayyaf and other terrorist groups. Such an extension, however, will have to be approved by the Philippine government, which has expressed willingness to extend the stay of American troops here but faces heavy criticism from leftist and nationalist groups that claim the presence of US soldiers is a violation of Philippine sovereignty. — With AFP