Yakan Communities Are Tired of Kidnappings

More than five hundred Yakan community people participated in a rally held at the Tipo-Tipo municipal ground in Basilan province spearheaded by Multi-Sectoral Group composed of community leaders and civil society organizations of the province on May 12, 2009. The activity was first in history of Basilan that a group or community people ventured to stage a mass action against the inhuman actuations of the dreaded Abu Sayyaf Group in the island despite of the threats posed to the lives both by the participants and invited speakers a night before the activity.

As gleaned from the placards and streamers which says among others “Release Umar Jaleel and other kidnap victims, Umar Jaleel is an international peaceworkers of Nonviolent Peaceforce, Lets all unite in Condemning Kidnappings ” and many more flooded the rally area. All the placards are all expressing sentiments over the seemingly unending spate of kidnapping in the area that place the lives of not only the victims and their families but also the innocent civilians into dangerous and difficult situation . The activity was spark off due to the concerns of the civilians by the kidnapping of Umar Jaleel, a Sri-Lankan Muslim national working as International Peace-worker under the Nonviolent Peaceforce. It was also established that around a dozen victims were also being held by the notorious group for several months now, among them teachers and businessmen.

Umar Jaleel was kidnapped by unidentified armed men, sporting military uniforms according to the care taker of the Nonviolent Peaceforce Office, located in Sitio Malo-ong, San Jose in Lamitan City. The abductors lodged in forcibly by breaking the main door at around 2:30 morning of Februart 13, 2009.

Unlike the other local and international figures who were victims of kidnappings who have been sensationalized both from the government, civil society groups, the military and the media that already became ­­flavor of the day. The case of Jaleel, despite of his almost three months of captivity, nothing is being heard of him and seems no one is interested in his fate. This triggered worry among the communities and the multi-sectoral groups of Basilan on the status of all kidnap victims who like Umar Jaleel seems to be forgotten by everyone.

In his opening message Jan Ausal, Municipal Justice Chairman of Tipo-Tipo and the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Multi-Sectoral Movement to free Umar Jaleel and other victims of kidnapping delivered a strongly worded message that the rally is only a start of their campaign against kidnappings in their area which is considered as “social evil” and therefore destroying the image of the peace-loving Yakan people as a whole.

Among the invited guests who speak in the rally was Captain Cuto representing Marine Brigade Commander Col. Rustico Guererro who delivered a short message and committed to support any future undertakings that concerns peaceful resolution of the problems besetting the island province such as the spate of kidnappings. Other important figures who speak their respective support to the rally were Municipal Administrator Artun Angeles of Tipo-Tipo, PNP Chief Nasser Etto, Alim Bayan Marudin of Basilan Ulama Council, Municipal Councilor of Lamitan Hadja Zubairah Saed and representatives coming from the municipalities of Al-Barka and Tuburan.

On the part of the Moro fronts, both leaderships of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the area were invited to speak in the rally, however for unknown reason the MNLF failed to send their representative.

On the side of the MILF, they sent Boni Salih who spoke on behalf of their group and extended gratitude for the initiators of the rally as a starting point in combating social menace. He further emphasized that their organization, the MILF is following Islamic lines which is peace and therefore abhors all conducts that will redound to discord such as the kidnapping of innocent civilians. He stressed that although, their organization is espousing armed struggle, however, they used it mainly only in defense of their cause and give paramount value and safety to non-combatants or civilians in war.

For the civil society organization, Sammy Maulana Secretary General of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS) convey his message of unity and sympathy to the Yakan people in their feeling of anxiety whenever kidnapping ensued followed by relentless pursuit operations by duly constituted authorities that damages their lives and properties.

Mr. Nathan Insung, Chairman of CBCS Regional Management Committee and Executive Director of Yakan Integrated Resources Development Foundation of Basilan was the most affected by the recent kidnapping of Umar Jaleel. First and foremost, he explained that their group is the “host organization” for the deployment in the province of Basilan by the international peace workers such as the Nonviolent Peaceforce where the victim belongs. He emphasized that because of the spate of kidnapping in their area, the Yakan people lost so many opportunities both from local and international donor agencies that will supposedly uplift their living condition. These agencies back out and withdrawn all their programs and projects in Basilan when abductions sprout again last year.

In larger context, in search for lasting peace in Mindanao, Mr. Insung exhort his fellow Yakan people to unite and support the peace processes especially on the controversial Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD). He clarified that despite of the scrapping and abandonment of the Supreme Court and the Philippine government of this product of an eleven years painstaking negotiation between the GRP and MILF, he believes it is still the best framework crafted in pursuit of real peace in Mindanao.

Reference:

Mike G. Kulat
Peacebuilding Coordinator
CBCS
Tel# (064) 421 5420