A Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) director vehemently denied accusations his unit was conducting indiscriminate arrest of civilians tagged as Abu Sayyaf members in Basilan. Senior Supt. Edgar Danao, CIDG regional director, said all the arrest they have conducted were supported with documents and affidavits from witnesses and were turned over to the courts. “We are fully supported by legal documents in apprehending the subject tagged as members of the Abu Sayyaf,” Danao said. Residents of Basilan recently expressed alarm over the series of arrest by alleged intelligence units tagging civilians with aliases of Abu Sayyaf suspects.
Danao said they have so far arrested 14 Abu Sayyaf personalities since January up to September and all subjects have been committed to Bicutan Jail in Taguig City while some in Basilan Provincial Jail. “We are very conscious in the arrest of subject personalities especially since we were subjected previously with habeas corpus case,” Danao said. He said there were cases of arrest handed to them which he turned over for lack of evidence. The CIDG official said they are open for investigation anytime by the Commission on Human Rights or other government investigating agencies. Danao suspected that the CIDG might have been used by another law enforcement group in its operations in hunting down suspected militants.
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao officer-in-charge Governor Mujiv Hataman raised the alarm of a number of arrest on innocent suspects in Basilan. Hataman said, based on their reports, the alleged “indiscriminate” arrests were perpetrated by the intelligence units either from the CIDG or from the military. Hataman even disclosed that the latest victim of illegal arrest was Romy Sumanpil, cousin of Basilan Asscoiation of Barangay Council chairman Manan Sumanpil. Another victim of arrest was barangay captian of Lantawan, despite being a member of the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit working with the scout ranger in 2001 was collared and tagged with an alias of an Abu Sayyaf. Hataman said they are writing reports to President Benigno Aquino III to stop the alleged arrest of innocent civilians being branded with Abu Sayyaf aliases in Basilan.
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