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By Anthony Vargas, Reporter
Confusion over the whereabouts of
Fr. Giancarlo Bossi and his kidnappers is hampering efforts to
rescue.
Lt. Col. Eugenio Cedo, the
military commander for Western Mindanao (WestMincom), had said Bossi
and his captors were still in Zamboanga Sibugay.
But Maj. Gen. Ben Mohammad
Dolorfino, who coordinates the rescue efforts with the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front, had said that the kidnappers had made their way to
the boundary of the two Lanao provinces.
Dolorfino, who heads the
disbanded government-MILF Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), said
the pump boats used by Bossi’s abductors was recovered Monday in
Barangay Payong, Sultan Kumander in Lanao del Sur.
The boats indicated that the
kidnappers might already be in Lanao del Sur, he said.
Dolorfino also said Bossi’s
captors had sent an emissary to the military to express their
intention to negotiate the release of the 57-year-old priest.
“I told them [kidnappers] to
present a proof of life before [any] negotiations could start,”
Dolorfino said.
He said the leader of the
kidnappers had been identified by the National Bureau of
Investigation (NBI), but his identity is still subject to
verification.
The Armed Forces Public
Information chief, Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, said Monday that
government forces were conducting simultaneous rescue operations in
Zamboanga Sibugay and Lanao del Sur.
Bossi was abducted by five armed
in Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay on June 10.
The priest’s superiors
reportedly want to open up direct links with the kidnappers to
negotiate his release.
The Pontifical Institute of
Foreign Missions (PIME) prelature remains hopeful negotiations with
the captors of Bossi could help keep him alive.
Bossi’s superiors and
colleagues were frustrated with various statements of the military
about his possible release and wanted to establish contact with his
kidnappers directly, church and military sources said.
The MILF had earlier reported
having established contact with the kidnappers, and said they were
demanding an unspecified amount of ransom.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said on
Monday that he believed Bossi was alive, but said “there remains
no new development or news from the MILF team.”
The MILF has also assured Italian
ambassador to Manila Rubens Fedele that the group would continue to
help.
Bossi’s friends and colleagues
at PIME lamented the “sad confusion” surrounding his fate,
noting that various military reports had not pinpointed his exact
location or aired the demands of his captors.
“It’s like shooting at the
breeze. The truth is lost on the face of the map,” they wrote in
an Internet blog keeping track of the case.
They said it remained unclear who
was holding Bossi, adding “they have made no contact whatsoever
and the reasons for the abduction remain completely unknown.”
--With ABS-CBN Interactive
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