DND chief Lorenzana says better to capture Abu Sayyaf bandits alive

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday said capturing the remaining Abu Sayyaf Group members hiding in Bohol province alive is better than killing them so the government can extract vital information on the terror group's plans.

"Siguro mabuti na makuha nating buhay sila para makuha natin yung storya nila kung paano sila napunta rito saka kung sino yung mga kasama nila at ano pang mga balak nila," Lorenzana said in a report by GMA News' JP Soriano on Balitanghali.

The report quoted Lorenzana in saying it is only a matter of days before they capture the seven still at-large ASG members.

On Wednesday, President Rodrigo Duterte offered a P1-million bounty on any information that can lead to the ASG members in Bohol and ordered authorities to capture them "dead or alive."

"My order to the police and to the lahat, and even to the civilians wherein they should do fight and killing, ang order ko is dead or alive. Kaya iyong anim na maybe scouring the safety nets kung saan sila maka-landing, I have a P1 million offer per person," Duterte said.

The military had earlier said five ASG members were able to escape the security operation launched after it received information that 11 members of the terrorist group arrived in Inabanga town from Indanan, Sulu, last April 11.

The operation resulted in the deaths of six ASG members, including sub-leader Muammar "Abu Rami" Askali.

Three soldiers and one policeman were killed in the clash.

The military said the terrorists arrived in Inabanga through the help of local contacts and will conduct a series of kidnappings in Bohol, which hosts several ministerial meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The meetings are currently being held at Panglao Island where delegates from ASEAN and Hong Kong discuss ways on how to improve the economies of nations in the region.

Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Eduardo Año denied the military had lapses in its intelligence report on the ASG members.

"There's no failure of intelligence. From the time they left Sulu they were being monitored. Upon arrival here they were tracked, and then we have information, and then we acted," Año said.

Lorenzana and Año are in Bohol to ensure the safety of the ASEAN delegates. —NB, GMA News