Escaped GenSan bomber seeks sanctuary in MILF lair

Escaped General Santos City bomber Abdulbasit Usman could have sought sanctuary in a hideout of the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels, his relatives said yesterday.

Usman’s relatives told The STAR Usman "has connections with the MILF and he will get protection if he hides in any area where there are any MILF rebels."

Because of the ceasefire between the MILF and the government, Usman would be assured of safe refuge should he be in the protection of the MILF, Central Mindanao local officials also said.

The ceasefire restrains the military from mounting offensives against any MILF camp while peace negotiations are underway.

President Arroyo, who was attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Summit in Los Cabos, Mexico yesterday, expressed disappointment over Usman’s escape.

While she has yet to receive an official report on the incident, the President expressed confidence that North Cotabato Gov. Manuel Piñol will be "on top" of the situation.

At Malacañang, acting Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao admitted the flimsy manner in which arrested and "highly dangerous" suspects are handled.

"We cannot let this kind of madness go on when people die and police and intelligence officers risk their lives – some are even killed in action – in apprehending criminals and terrorists. And then, what happens is that those in charge of these suspects become inefficient," Tiglao said.

"This is really a problem for the judicial system," Tiglao added. "This isn’t the first instance of criminals bolting out of jail. We really have to institute measures now to ensure that criminals (and) suspects are properly secured in their detention centers."

Tiglao added that the President want the Philippine National Police (PNP) to "fire the officers responsible for such negligence."

Usman is the principal suspect in the April 21 bombing of the Fitmart shopping center in General Santos City that killed 15 people and wounded 60 others in the worst terrorist attack in the city.

Usman, 35, is facing murder charges for the Fitmart bombing, but he was never put behind bars despite the gravity of the charges against him.

Under the law, a suspect may be detained in jail without charges for up to 36 hours, depending on the gravity of the suspect’s offense.

This was not done in Usman’s case, as he was detained — without physical restraints — in the police barracks in Sarangani while awaiting a court order transferring him to the Sarangani provincial jail and the belated issuance of a warrant for his arrest.

Despite the admission of arrested terrorist Ustadz Noor Muhammad that he commissioned Usman to create and detonate the explosive device used to bomb Fitmart, no warrant for Usman’s arrest was ever issued.

Sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said they are convinced Usman is a member of the Abu Sayyaf’s al-Ghazie extortion ring, which claimed responsibility for the Fitmart bombing.

Usman bolted the 1206th Provincial Police Mobile Group (PMG) in Barangay Kawas before noon Wednesday, but his escape was only reported by the Central Mindanao office to Camp Crame on Saturday.

Central Mindanao police director Chief Superintendent Jose Dalumpines ordered a manhunt to recapture Usman. Dalumpines also sacked Usman’s principal custodian, Sarangani police chief Superintendent Willie Dangane.

Dalumpines ordered Sarangani PMG head Chief Inspector Aucelyto Cabang to conduct a thorough investigation of the circumstances behind Usman’s escape.

"Though the investigation is not yet over," Dalumpines said, "I already relieved Dangane from his post for failure to (provide) maximum security (for) the bomber, whom we consider very high-risk."

Reliable sources said Usman’s family offered the suspect’s custodians P25,000 to keep Usman out of jail – a charge vehemently denied by the Sarangani police.

The military has fielded over a dozen intelligence agents in strategic areas in General Santos City and the surrounding provinces, including Maguindanao, to help police track and recapture Usman, according to Army Maj. Julieto Ando, spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division. – With reports from Paolo Romero, Marichu Villanueva, Jess Diaz and AFP