3 Sayyaf men surrender in Basilan

ZAMBOANGA CITY: Three Abu Sayyaf terrorists surrendered separately to the Philippine Navy in the southern Muslim province of Basilan and Sulu with security officials saying the trio may be given amnesty under the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program.

The trio — Akmad Hassan, Sibar Asid and Anting Addalal — who surrendered on Thursday, May 25, also underwent a thorough medical checkup at the military’s Camp Navarro General Hospital here to ensure their well-being, said Rear Admiral Donn Anthony Miraflor, commander of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM), which facilitated the surrender of the terrorists.

“They were turned over to the Joint Task Force-Basilan and Joint Task Force-Sulu, in collaboration with MPOS-BARMM, for proper documentation and appropriate disposition, and their possible inclusion in the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program,” Miraflor said, referring to the Ministry of Public Order and Safety of the Bangsamoro autonomous region.

“They (surrenderers) willingly turned over a significant cache of firearms and explosives, demonstrating their commitment to leaving behind their militant activities,” he added.

The former Abu Sayyaf members turned over one M16 rifle, one M1 Garand rifle, one .45-caliber pistol, one fragmentation grenade, one smoke grenade, one canister of tear gas and ammunition, according to Miraflor, who said the men were presented to Army Lt. Gen. Roy Galido, chief of the Western Mindanao Command.

“The continuous surrender of ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group) members is a testament to the NFWM’s unwavering efforts to establish lasting peace and security in Western Mindanao,” he said.