EDITORIAL - No-ransom policy

In a hostage situation, the ideal is to strictly enforce a no-ransom policy. It teaches criminals that kidnapping does not pay, and this lesson serves as a deterrent against future attacks. In a less-than-ideal situation, ransom is paid, but only to secure the release of the captives, apprehend the kidnappers and recover the ransom. This tack has been applied with some success in places such as Metro Manila during periods when kidnapping for ransom became rampant. The inability of crooks to enjoy the fruits of crime serves as a powerful deterrent.

If kidnapping continues to be the most lucrative industry in the island provinces of Sulu and Basilan, it is because bandits have been allowed to get away with money and other items given to them in exchange for the release of captives. Euphemisms have been coined for these exchanges; “board and lodging fee” is a favorite. But whether it’s money paid for an indefinite stay at the Patikul Hilton, or sacks of rice given to keep bandits from starving to death, it’s still ransom if given in exchange for a hostage. And profiting from crime encourages more of the same, unless crooks are prevented from enjoying the profits.

For several days rumors have swirled that a $5-million ransom was paid in exchange for the release of Mary Jean Lacaba, the Filipina who was with two foreign Red Cross volunteers when they were kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu. If this is true and the Abu Sayyaf is allowed to get away with its caper, the International Committee of the Red Cross might as well stop operating in Sulu unless with a heavy security escort, because every time one of its volunteers shows up in the province, crooks would see $5 million.

After Ghalib “Robot” Andang and his gang earned about $30 million from holding captive mostly foreign hostages from the Malaysian island of Sipadan, the main Abu Sayyaf faction in Basilan also struck, raiding a resort island and taking mostly Filipino hostages along with three Americans. In the latest kidnapping, negotiations and military-police operations to free the hostages and pursue the kidnappers are being derailed by Sen. Richard Gordon, who is not a member of the negotiating team, and who can’t resist jumping at every publicity opportunity. But even with his political posturing, those tasked to handle this situation may still manage to achieve their objectives: the release of the hostages, and the end of kidnapping in Sulu.