Groups condemn Sulu abduction

Groups condemn Sulu abduction

Romy B. Elusfa/MindaNews contributor
Wednesday, 11 June 2008 01:00
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/10 June) -- More non-government, peace and religious organizations have condemned the abduction of Prof. Octavio Dinampo, journalists Ces Drilon, Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama, in Maimbung, Sulu last Monday.


Among those that condemned the abduction and called for the "immediate unconditional release" of the victims are the Manila-based Black and White Movement, the Mindanao Solidarity Network, Focus on Global South, Balay Rehabilitation Center, and the Gaston C. Ortigas Peace Center.

The Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC), a tri-people organization chaired by Dinampo, along with its 36-member organizations, staged an ecumenical prayer at the Ateneo de Davao.

At the ecumenical prayer, some 70 leaders of non-government organizations offered prayers for the immediate release and safety of Dinampo, Drilon and her two colleagues. Among the leaders were Fr. Albert Alejo and Rev. Daniel Pantoja.

Dinampo is a professor of the Jolo campus of the Mindanao State University. He taught at the MSU main campus in Marawi City before moving back to his hometown.

Peace advocates have lambasted Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao, PNP director for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, who told the media that they were yet to determine if Dinampo was "part of the kidnappers or was also a victim."

"We abhor this apparent allusion that Prof. Octa is ‘part of the kidnappers’ -- a not-so-veiled hint that we believe is deliberately being spread with the persistent unconfirmed reports attempting to impress upon the public that the co-convener of MPW had already been freed by their abductors while the journalists he helped remain in the hands of their captors," the Mindanao Peace Weavers, the biggest network of organizations advocating peace in Mindanao to which Dinampo is a convener, said in a statement.

"This statement of the highest ranking police officer in the autonomous region does not only undermine the already precarious security of Prof. Octa but also casts aspersion on the entire peace movement in Mindanao. We condemn this in no uncertain terms," the MPW added.

Rexall Kaalim, coordinator of Bantay Ceasefire, the monitoring arm of the MPC, also criticized Goltiao’s statement.

"This statement attributed to a ranking police officer is definitely uncalled for. It is an irresponsible statement," Kaalim said as he relayed to the crowd how the university professor "labored hard to reach out to all armed groups in his attempt to persuade them to take the path of peace."

For the MPW, Dinampo “has always been in the forefront of peace activities in Jolo and has lent his prestige and quiet, tireless work to the entire peacebuilding movement in Mindanao. As an MPW co-convener, he participated in a recent regional conference on the impact of counter terrorism measures on the work of civil society held in Davao City. He may now be an ironic victim of those measures."

The MPW relayed that its partners in Jolo were reportedly told by men identified with the intelligence community that Dinampo had already been released without Drilon and her crew.

"Some media reports also identified Drilon, Encarnacion and Valderama as the only victims of the kidnapping. We are very concerned that some of our friends in media have fallen for the line that Drilon, Encarnacion and Valderama are the only ones kidnapped, reinforcing the PNP's insinuation that Prof. Octa could be "part of the kidnappers," the MPW statement said.

MPW said that Dinampo "couldn't be declared missing in his own home province, unless he is being held against his will. He is clearly a kidnap-victim" even as it "vouched for Prof. Octa and stands by him unrelentingly. We call on all concerned to join our efforts in getting Prof Octa and all his fellow victims released safely the soonest possible time."

In Cotabato City, ARMM Gov. Datu Zaldy Ampatuan has ordered the regional police force to track down the kidnappers. He asked Sulu Gov. Hadji Sakur Tan to lead local authorities in locating Drilon and her companions.

Goltiao said the victims are being kept between Kulasi and Maimbung in Sulu.

The police chief said that Dinampo failed to coordinate with locals in Maimbung when they proceeded to an area believed to be influenced by the Abu Sayyaf Group.

Goltiao, in a radio interview, confirmed that the abductors were asking for a P10-million ransom for the release of the kidnap victims.

Amina Rasul, of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy, appealed to MNLF Chair Nur Misuari “to use his influence in Sulu to help secure [the victims’] freedom and preserve what little peace we have in Sulu.” She called on the ulama, too, to use their “moral authority” in helping out in the release.

“We call on all our brothers and sisters in Sulu to resist these un-Islamic, criminal armed groups in our province who are not fighting for a just cause and have done nothing but bring suffering to our people. If we do nothing when they commit criminal acts and attack civilians, even one of our own, then we should all realize that any one of us can be next,” she added.

Rasul hoped that the kidnapping “will not be the trigger for another all-out war operation” in Sulu. (Romy B. Elusfa/MindaNews)