Former Basilan Abu Sayyaf men gets quarantine relief support

COTABATO CITY --- Life for reforming former Abu Sayyaf bandits in Basilan could have been worse this time had they not bolted from the terror group before the province was placed under quarantine. 

At least 81 erstwhile bandits in Sumisip, Basilan whose reintroduction to the local communities have been stymied by the anti-COVID-19 quarantine received food supplies this week in an outreach mission that was for them a premium of their having returned to the fold of law. 

Musad Balaman, one of the leaders of the 81 former Abu Sayyaf members, said Friday they feel safe from COVID-19 due to the containment efforts and continuing outreach missions of the provincial government of Basilan and the Army’s 64^th Infantry Battalion since the island province was placed under a health emergency in March. 

“If we have not surrendered and availed of a local reconciliation program, our families will go hungry due to displacement,” Balaman said in Filipino, in Yakan accent. 

Balaman was referring to the provincial Program Against Violent Extremism, more known as PAVE, now facilitating the return of almost 300 former bandits in Basilan to mainstream society via livelihood, education and religious interventions.

The PAVE was pioneered in 2017 by Basilan Gov. Jim Salliman and the lone congressman in the province, the Deputy Speaker Mujiv Hataman, who was former regional governor of the now defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the military's Western Mindanao Command and the Philippine National Police.

Lt. Col. Renante Besa of the 64^th IB led the dispersal early this week of the food supplies to the 81 former bandits during a simple event in the premises of their battalion command post in Barangay Tumahubong, Sumisip.

The office of Basilan’s provincial governor supplied the former Abu Sayyaf men with rice, augmented with other relief provisions, including fresh vegetables from a community garden of the 64^th IB. 

Besa and his subordinate-officers also lectured the former bandits on prevention of COVID-19 disease based on guidelines from the Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease.

Salliman, now in his second term as Basilan governor, said he is thankful to the 64^th IB for leading the relief mission for former Abu Sayyaf bandits now thriving as peace-loving farmers and fishermen in Sumisip, Basilan’s largest town.

Muril Wiril, a former Abu Sayyaf sub-commander, said he and his companions will relay to their neighbors the tips from soldiers on how to prevent COVID-19 infection.

 “We did not resent having surrendered to the government. Life would have been so miserable this time had we remained hiding in the jungles, fighting for a brutally non-sense cause,” Wiril said in mixed Yakan, Cebuano and Tagalog languages. (John Unson)