Schilling tags Janjalani, Sabaya

An American held hostage for eight months by the Abu Sayyaf faced prosecutors yesterday and identified two of his captors.

Appearing under heavy guard at the Department of Justice, Jeffrey Schilling of Oakland, California, tagged Hector Janjalani and Amin Ajijun as two of the bandit group’s leaders.

He identified the other leaders — Aldam "Abu Sabaya" Tilao, Khadaffy Janjalani and Hamsiraji Sali — through photographs. Khadaffy Janjalani and Sali remain at large while Sabaya was reported killed by troops in a sea encounter off Zamboanga del Norte last June 21.

Justice Secretary Hernando Perez said Schilling’s testimony was crucial in putting his former captors behind bars.

"The testimony of Mr. Schilling is perfect. He was able to identify the persons being prosecuted," he said. "Without the testimony of the victim, it’s really tough. But with his testimony, we will be able to prove the guilt of the accused."

Schilling told the court about his ordeal, saying he was often handcuffed or chained.

He also took the opportunity to deny military allegations that he was an Abu Sayyaf sympathizer. He said he was taken captive because the bandits believed he was an agent of the US Central Intelligence Agency.

He said he went to the bandits’ lair because he was accompanying his wife, Ivy Osani, a relative of Sabaya. Osani was seeking Sabaya’s help to disprove rumors that she and Schilling, a Muslim convert, were living together.

"And she believed that she could get the help of Abu Sabaya. But she’s afraid that if I would not go with her, something bad would happen to her so I agreed to go with my wife to Abu Sabaya," he told the court. Osani was allowed to leave but Schilling was detained.

Schilling denied reports at the time that he had joined his captors. Civilians in Jolo had reported seeing him on patrol with guerrillas and carrying a rifle, but Schilling said he was told to carry a weapon for appearances.

At one point, the Abu Sayyaf threatened to behead Schilling as a birthday gift to President Arroyo. Infuriated, she ordered an "all-out war" against the group.

Army troops rescued him on April 12, 2001 in the jungles of Sulu island.

Hector Janjalani is facing charges of kidnapping, murder and drug possession. His older brother, Khaddafy Janjalani, currently leads the Abu Sayyaf and is among five Abu Sayyaf leaders indicted in absentia in July by the United States government.

The military said Janjalani is a spokesman and leader of the Abu Sayyaf.

He was arrested in a Manila shopping mall in December 2000 after allegedly traveling to Manila to sell a video of Schilling to local and foreign television networks.

Janjalani and his cohorts are detained in a Taguig jail. Metro Manila police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco yesterday inspected the complex to make sure that Janjalani and his co-accused remain locked up.

Schilling returned to the Philippines to testify against his former captors. Officials say they did not announce his arrival until Thursday for his protection.

He will stay at an undisclosed location until he completes his testimony, Perez said.

The trial, originally scheduled to be held near Abu Sayyaf lairs in the southern Philippines, has been held in recent months at a police camp in Taguig for security reasons.

After his release on April 12 last year, military officials said they were convinced that Schilling was an unwilling hostage.

The US military armed and trained Filipino troops in a six-month counterterrorism exercise early this year to decimate the Abu Sayyaf in its traditional lair on Basilan island.