A lack of courtesy and coordination

Shortly before President Estrada left for a state visit to China last week, Malacañang announced that a bit of good news was expected from Mindanao. Although no details were provided, the expectation was that at least one foreign hostage would be freed by the Abu Sayyaf fundamentalist group before the President's departure.

There was no release. Worse, deve-lopments last week indicated a disturbing lack of coordination in the government's efforts to secure the release of all the hostages. There were reports that Malaysian Ambassador Mohamad Arshad Manzoor Hussain had gone to Jolo, Sulu to negotiate directly with the Abu Sayyaf for the freedom of nine Malaysian hostages. There were grumblings from Malacañang's designated chief negotiator, Robert Aventajado, and Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan about foreign intervention.

Even as Aventajado and Tan stewed against Hussain, Presidential Spokesman Ricardo Puno announced that the ambassador's trip to Jolo had been cleared with Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon Jr. Puno said Hussain simply wanted to send a Red Crescent medical team to attend to the hostages. But the Philippine government has already sent medical teams. Who can be sure if a Muslim medical team was all that Hussain discussed with the Abu Sayyaf? Who can say if he offered ransom or cut a deal with the terrorists?

Filipinos can rage all they want against Malaysian intervention, but what can they do when such intervention is allowed by the secretary of foreign affairs? It was not the first time that lack of coordination became a glaring problem in the government's response to the hostage crisis. Negotiators have been arguing with the Armed Forces over military action against the Abu Sayyaf. The foreign affairs department has been at odds with the defense department and government negotiators over the handling of the crisis.

In the age of powerful cell phones, Siazon could have easily informed Aventajado that a Malaysian representative was on his way to a meeting with the Abu Sayyaf. Yet Siazon apparently felt he was not accountable to the person designated by President Estrada as the man in charge of handling the crisis. Such lack of Cabinet courtesy and coordination is no longer surprising. It is one of the reasons for the confusion and drift in government, and is one of the reasons for the slow resolution of the hostage crisis.