ARMM gov vows to go after kidnappers but...

COTABATO CITY — Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Parouk Hussin said he is ready to flex the muscles of the fledgling Regional Security Force (RSF) in running after notorious kidnappers like Faisal Marohombsar.

But Hussin said he is certain that the unit’s lack of manpower and logistics can make the objective too difficult to accomplish.

Even so, the ARMM leadership is optimistic that pledges by foreign donors, including member-states of the Organization of Islamic Conference, will help sustain the RSF’s operations.

In a press statement, Hussin said even the United States government has expressed readiness to extend technical assistance to boost the crime-prevention capability of the newly activated security force.

The RSF will be jointly supervised by the Philippine National Police and the governor’s office.

Hussin said his main concern now is for the RSF to cope with the firepower of criminal syndicates in the region. Lawless groups in the ARMM, including the Abu Sayyaf and the notorious Pentagon kidnap-for-ransom gang, are better armed than the local police.

Last Friday, Hussin directed all police units in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, both component provinces of the ARMM, to intensify their hunt for Marohombsar, the Pentagon gang’s chief who escaped from detention at Camp Crame in Quezon City last week.

ARMM Executive Secretary Nabil Tan said they have tapped the support of mayors in the second district of Lanao del Sur, where Marohombsar’s followers are scattered, in tracking down the fugitive.

"There have been pledges from the mayors and other traditional leaders in the area that they will immediately inform the police or military once they see Marohombsar in their respective communities," Tan said.