PNP probes ‘betrayal’ in Ces Drilon and crew’s kidnap

June 18, 2008

The Philippine National Police has started its investigation into the alleged betrayal that led to the abduction of an ABS-CBN News crew and their guide on June 8 in Indanan, Sulu.

” ‘Yun po ang aalamin namin…dahil nagtaka po kami kung bakit nagkaroon ng kidnapping ang insidenteng ito. They were supposed to go there to interview a personality, lumabas na sila na ang hostages, sila na ang kidnap victim,” said PNP Director General Avelino Razon Jr.

Razon was referring to the abduction of ABS-CBN senior correspondent Ces Drilon, cameramen Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama and their guide, Prof. Octavio Dinampo of the Mindanao State University.

Drilon, Encarnacion and Dinampo were released late Tuesday night while Valderama walked free last week.

Drilon had bared that the abduction that led to their nine-day orderal in the hinterlands of Sulu was due to a betrayal. Suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf Group have been tagged in the abduction.

“I’ve been in and out of Mindanao in all my years as a journalist. Ang gusto ko lang gumawa ng istorya tungkol dito. Sa kasamaang palad, there was some betrayal involved kaya kami na-kidnap,” she said, without elaborating.

Razon said that the debriefing is underway for the victims and the negotiators.

“We still have to integrate all these reports, merge them together, get the bigger picture on what reallly happened doon sa kidnapping,” he said.

Drilon’s statement came as Indanan Mayor Alvarez Isnaji and his son, Haider, were flown by police from Mindanao for questioning at the national police headquarters in Camp Crame in Quezon City.

Razon told reporters in Zamboanga City that Isnaji is not yet a suspect. He, however, confirmed that the mayor and his son were being debriefed.

Drilon was supposed to interview an Abu Sayyaf personality in Sulu, when she and her team were kidnapped.

Dinampo, a peace advocate, was serving as the television crew’s guide.

Dinampo not a suspect

Razon said police investigators have finished debriefing the four kidnap victims, who were separately interviewed by the probers.

The police official clarified that Dinampo was never treated as a suspect. “Siya ay kasama sa mga victims,” he said.

Asked if Isnaji and his son are being treated as suspects, Razon said “not at this point in time.”

He said the Isnajis are also going through the same debriefing process in Manila.

Drilon had publicly thanked the Isnaji for his efforts that were instrumental for their release.

Hunt for the unidentified

Razon announced that even as probers have yet to determine the identities of the abductors, members of the military’s Task Force Comet and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao police have launched pursuit operations against the suspects.

The police chief said the abductors are Abu Sayyaf members. He added that the two suspects — Sulayman Patta alias Abu Harris and Walid alias Tuan Wals – are members of the bandit group.

A P500,000 reward each for the two identified suspects have been offered by the PNP.

Razon said the pieces of evidence and the results of the debriefing on the victims will be used by policemen to identify and arrest the abductors.

The PNP had earlier announced that kidnapping charges were being readied against Patta and Sulayman and several John Does.

Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome, PNP spokesman, said more than 10 personalities are being validated for possible inclusion in the charge sheet.

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