The public may find it easy to believe that the search was not covered by a proper warrant. The military is not known for such niceties, especially when looking for someone as notorious and slippery as Sabaya. On the other hand, Kalahal will find that there are people who believe he provided refuge to Sabaya. There have been too many reports of the Abu Sayyaf receiving protection not only from residents who benefit from the group’s multimillion-dollar earnings from ransom kidnappings, but even from local government officials. In 2000 there were reports that at least one ransom pay-off for foreigners was made at the home of a local official in Sulu.
Yesterday, a report quoted Armed Forces chief Gen. Diomedio Villanueva as saying that certain prominent families in Mindanao are protecting the Abu Sayyaf. Villanueva did not name names, but suspicion inevitably focuses on prominent political families. The claim of the AFP chief is believable; a small band of ruthless thugs could not have survived for nearly a decade, terrorizing residents of Basilan, Sulu and neighboring provinces, without the protection of influential people.
Of course, suspicions have also been raised over the years that military and police officers themselves are coddling the Abu Sayyaf. The only way to dispel these suspicions is to get the group’s members, to annihilate them as promised by the commander-in-chief. If local officials in Basilan and Sulu want the best for their constituents, they should do their utmost to help government troops in this campaign.