Left Flank

The three Filipino hostages held by Abu Sayyaf, Ces Drilon, Octavio Dinampo, and Jimmy Encarnacion were released. House Speaker Prospero Nograles managed to sound both paranoid and optimistic.

Nograles, for his part, said that aside from going on an armed offensive against the Abu Sayyaf, «the government and the political leaders in Mindanao should work hard to provide livelihood and improve the infrastructure in conflict areas.»

Nograles said it was no longer important whether ransom was indeed paid.

«Instead of debating about how and why Ces and her two fellow captives were released, we should thank the good Lord that they came back to us safely. All speculations at this point on the circumstances behind their release are immaterial,» Nograles said.

Nograles stressed the need to end kidnappings in Mindanao and to convince the international community that a greater part of southern Philippines did not have the same problem of banditry and extremism.

«Sulu and Basilan, which are mostly the center of Abu Sayyaf kidnappings, is not the entire Mindanao. We have so many areas in Mindanao which are peaceful, safe and beautiful,» Nograles said.

He said the latest kidnapping in Sulu «is another setback in the government's effort to make Mindanao the new frontier of investments.»

«We should stop the chicken and egg situation in Mindanao where we cannot have development because of the peace and order problem and we cannot have peace and order because of lack of development in the region,» Nograles said.

Senator Rodolfo Biazon argued that the government's policy of allowing press into areas where military operations are conducted should balance «...freedom of press and the people's right to know.

Contrary to hype, RP President Arroyo's Executive Secretary also argued that Abu Sayyaf is far from defeated. But, defeat will not happen, if this is the government's bizarre notion of «dictating terms». Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez: «I told him I would be willing to ask the Armed Forces and the police to allow him to meet me on a safe conduct pass but not to negotiate because we cannot negotiate with terrorists. I said we should be the one to dictate our terms so we have to test his real intentions.»

The three hostages should count themselves lucky they got out alive and intact before the government tried to «dictate» anything.

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As usual I come to these Filipino stories too late to do much more than jump up and down and point out provocative issues. But, the account of Ces Drilon's capture, and the civil liberties issue surrounding the embargo on the reporting of the incident right after, followed by Manila's breaking of that embargo, has the makings of a legal and political precedent and a very compelling, human story.

My own understanding is that is that it was the government station, NBN-4, and not the wire services that broke the story. It was the government that forced an end to the embargo by reporting the kidnapping of Ces Drilon and Co. on its Monday evening news program. Since news on a government station has an official nature to it, it's logical to assume that it was then that the wire services, which I understand had been unable to obtain a statement from ABS-CBN up to that point, could run with the story.

So let me say first of all that government appeals for «restraint» are pure, unadulterated bullshit. You have a rare instance where media exercised prudence (not altogether altruistically, as I'll explore in a bit) but government, always eager to appeal for «restraint,» jumped the gun… The reasons for this could range from malicious glee (no love lost either for the network or Drilon on the part of officialdom) to a general interest in beating the war drums in Mindanao to provide a distraction for economic issues and expand the President's political and military (one and the same) options.

Still, for a time, an embargo was asked for, and respected, while ABS-CBN tried to downplay the story. This explains the befuddlement experienced by bloggers...

With all respect to Ms. Drilon and Dr. Octavio Dinampo (and their quick, safe release), Filipino blogs keep me going like none other.

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