'No report that Sabban got ransom money'

MANILA, Philippines - The military said it has not received information that Marine Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban received money when the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped Red Cross workers in 2009 as reported by online whistleblower WikiLeaks.

“We have not received any report. If there is such report, then we would have conducted an immediate investigation,” Armed Forces public affairs chief Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. told reporters yesterday.

“We don’t glorify reports from WikiLeaks. These are unverified and unconfirmed. In terms of determining its authenticity, it is questionable. We cannot really establish its authenticity,” he added.

Burgos said he is also not aware whether Sabban and former defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro had differences.

When asked how he would describe Sabban’s reputation, Burgos said, “He is a professional soldier.”

WikiLeaks quoted Teodoro as saying that Sabban, who was then chief of Task Force Comet, earned money from the negotiations for the release of Red Cross workers Andreas Notter, Eugenio Vagni and Jean Lacab, who were kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu.                       

Teodoro allegedly made the statements in a breakfast meeting with former US ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney in 2009.

Lacaba, a Filipino, was freed on April 2, 2009 while Notter, a Swiss national, escaped from his captors after more than two weeks.

Vagni, an Italian, was released on July 12 after a local official paid his captors P50,000 for his “board and lodging.”

Teodoro allegedly told Kenney that Sabban was “overwhelmingly ambitious” and even wanted to become the Armed Forces chief.

Sabban, now the commander of the Palawan-based Western Command, belied the statements attributed to Teodoro.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News, Sabban said he was even relieved from his post because he did not want to negotiate with the kidnappers.

“I was sent somewhere else so that the negotiations will push through which I really didn’t want,” Sabban said.

Sabban also blew his top when asked to react on Teodoro’s alleged statement that he was ambitious.

“Who is ambitious? Did he (Teodoro) run for President? Isn’t he the one who has an ambition?” the Western Command chief said.