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“Abu Tagalog” abducted in Baguio

Serves Islamic school as “mayordomo”

BAGUIO CITY (Nov. 4) — Six days before the Islamic month of fasting, Ramadhan, ended yesterday, an Islamic faithful, whom the police alleged as an Abu Sayyaf leader, was abducted on October 29 by members of the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) near one of the Muslim institutions in this summer capital city. The abduction, an Islamic leader said, affected the turn out of the Islamic affair yesterday at Melvin Jones, here.

The victim, the 5th Abu Tagalog arrested by the military so far, was certified by Muslim authorities here as a hardworking maintenance staff of the Almaarif Educational Center, an Islamic school near the Grand Mosque along Roman Ayson Road, here.

Nordis learned from interviews with the Muslim community that Amil Salih Flamiano, 27 years old, was mistakenly identified by military as Abu Tagalog, who was implicated in the Dos Palmas kidnapping incident in 2001, has been working as Almaarif maintenance crew purchasing food, fixing electrical, water problems, and all other menial stuff. As far as our informant is concerned, he has been seeing Flamiano at the center since 2000. Flamiano has been in the Center since 1997, reliable sources reveal.

“In fact, he was in Baguio City when the kidnapping at the Dos Palmas Resort in Palawan island happened,” a Muslim informant told Nordis in an interview.

Flamiano has been working in the Almaarif and helping the institution in its religious and related activities, Nordis learned.

“He is trusted in the meal preparations including when we have high ranking officials from the government as visitors like the PNP, United States embassy, among others,” claimed this Muslim interviewee, who requested anonymity. He added that if he is indeed a terrorist, then he could have found ways to easily perpetuate terrorist activities, but he did not.

Dos Palmas Resort kidnapping

Nordis learned that Amil was arrested by the military in relation with the Abu Sayyaf kidnapping at the Dos Palmas Resort in Palawan sometime in 2003.

Flamiano, however, who is reportedly from Basilan in Mindanao studied in the city prior to 2000 and has been in the Almaarif ever since before his arrest last Oct. 29.

He has been trusted all the time and had not even been suspected of any wrong doings through out the period of his being an Almariff staff. He is, in fact, well known even at the city market as he was send their for the institution’s market needs, added the Nordis source:

“Most of all, he was here when the Sipadan kidnapping at the Dos Palmas resort happened,” reiterated our source.

Abduction not coordinated

Nordis learned from Director Abdullah Macarimpas of the Office of the Muslim Affairs (OMA) of Northern Luzon that the Flamiano arrest was not coordinated with his office by the NCRPO.

He furthered that it is unbelievable for Flamiano to be involved in the Sipadan hostage-taking. “If indeed he was involved in that kidnapping which involved millions of dollar in ransom, why would he stay here in Baguio where he could be arrested anytime?,” asked Macarimpas.

Macarimpas said a moneyed Muslim will always give his family the amenities of a comfortable life, buys her wife a house and not content himself going to the market in slippers and working for other people. If Flamiano, he said, had a share in the ransom, he would not just rent a small room in the city.

Flamiano was tagged by the PNP as the Abu Sayyaf financier but Macarimpas claimed that the money in his pocket at the time the PNP-NCRPO took him was to be used to purchase food needs of the Amaarif, where some 250 Muslims would break the fast that evening. “He goes to the market wearing slippers. How can he become a financier?” he asked.

He claims that it might be a case of mistaken identity with the record of Flamiano to have worked in the insitution as maintenance crew. The arresting officer should publicly apologized if it will be proven that he (Flamiano) has no connection on the case, reiterating however his personal belief that Flamiano is not involved in the Sipadan kidnapping, added Macarimpas.

On the other hand, Baguio City Police Superintendent Isagani Nerez claimed that the NCRPO coordinated with them. He claimed however that upon his request, the NCRPO presented the warrant of arrest against an alleged member of the Abu Sayyaf named Abu Tagalog but the warrant failed to identify Amil Salih Flamiano as Abu Tagalog. They only learned after that Flamiano was the one taken.

Based on news, Flamiano was brought to Basilan where the case was filed in one court. It is with the court to appreciate if Flamiano was involved in the case, added Nerez.

NORDIS also learned that there is no case filed against Flamino in the city.

Real reason

The US and the present administration equate terrorism with Islam believers, but this is not seen as the reason for the arrest of Flamiano.

While the Ramadhan Al Mubarak 2005 Committee expected a large crowd at the rituals, which ended the holy month of fasting, only some 3,000 showed up. Our source said that it may not be due to the abduction alone, but did not discount the possibility that some of his Islamic brothers and sisters did not like to be identified with Islam, as a consequence.

The Nordis source related the arrest with the reward system by the present administration for the arrest of alleged terrorists. The system had allegedly served as blanket authority for the military arresting any one without credible evidence and witnesses pointing the involvement of an alleged terrorists, explained our source, which now led to the arrest of any one for mere belief.

Earlier, another Islamic leader, Central and northern Luzon Sultan Mohammed Amin “Bob” Torres, earlier said that intelligence operatives were often seen inside religious mosques in the city.

“Pati sa mga mosque ay naniniktik sila,” (They even do surveillance activities in mosques) Torres was quoted as saying during the opening of the Ramadhan at the People’s Park here. # Arthur L. Allad-iw and Lyn V. Ramo for NORDIS

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