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Manila: President Gloria Arroyo has ordered an intensified drive against kidnap for ransom groups operating in Mindanao, following a rash of abductions in the region that also victimised members of civilian peace volunteers.
According to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, the recent spate of abductions in Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and the Zamboanga peninsula, had angered the president, prompting her to order the armed forces to intensify its drive against kidnappers.
"With local government units ably assisting the military and the police force, the President is determined to put a stop to these incidences and contain and neutralise the perpetrators at all cost," Ermita said.
According to the official, the personalities and groups behind the abductions have been identified as members of the Abu Sayyaf, or rogue elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Ermita said the President had ordered that cash rewards be put up for the capture of the kidnappers in a bid to hasten the drive against these groups.
"The President has ordered regular field reports on the status and gains of these operations even as she also directed that bounties and rewards be put on the heads of the leaders of these kidnapping groups to facilitate the gathering of more intelligence inputs on the ground," Ermita said.
Arroyo, according toe Ermita, also reminded the officials to respect the rights of the suspects, "The President wants our law enforcers to prove that the strong adherence and dedication to our values as a civilised society are what gives us moral ascendancy over those who harm hapless citizens," he said.
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