I am with you vs. Abu Sayyaf Group, Duterte tells Mindanao troops

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he supported government troops in going after the Abu Sayyaf Group and was ready to take up the cudgels for them if they would face cases while they performed their duties.

“The President urged them to ‘just do your job’  and promised that ‘if you will fall into trouble, or face cases due to such lawful performance of your duties, I will take the cudgels for you’," Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Brigadier General Restituto Padilla quoted Duterte as saying.

“I am with you in the punitive and law enforcement action against the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group,” he recalled the president as saying.

Duterte went to Basilan, a known bailiwick of the Abu Sayyaf, accompanied by AFP chief General Ricardo Visaya and the chiefs of the Army, Air Force and Navy.

At the Army headquarters there, 104th Brigade commander and concurrent Joint Task Group Basilan chief Col. Cirilito Tomas Donato briefed Duterte and the military's top brass on the ongoing operations against the Abu Sayyaf.

“He went there primarily to ascertain how we have been addressing the threats there,” Padilla said.

Duterte had earlier vowed to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf, linked to international terrorist groups, during his term.

He, however, also raised the possibility of talking peace with the bandits.

“Abu Sayyaf, hindi ko sila kalaban. I know that is connected with the issue of Mindanao. Nais ko lang linawin, sila ba? Are they willing to talk or just fight it out?” Duterte said in Cebu a few days before he took his oath as president.

The Abu Sayyaf, known for amassing tens of millions of dollars from kidnap for ransom operations has beheaded two Canadian nationals in recent weeks after ransom deadlines passed.

The President on Thursday also visited AFP’s Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga but not in Sulu where the Abu Sayyaf is believed to be keeping a dozen Filipino and foreign hostages.

The Abu Sayyaf is estimated to have about 300 to 400 members, mostly operating in Sulu.

Asked why the President did not visit Sulu, Padilla said, “We don’t know, it might be due to security consideration.”

Selfie with the president

Meanwhile, after the military briefing in Basilan, Duterte mingled with the residents of the province.

AFP public affairs office chief Col. Edgard Arevalo said, "The people patiently waited just to greet and meet the commander-in-chief, talk to him, and had photo taken with him, including selfie. They were not disappointed."

"In his extemporaneous speech, he first thanked the Moros for the votes they cast in his favor, that credited to his winning the Presidency," Arevalo said.

Arevalo noted how Duterte admonished the Abu Sayyaf for having committed "many crimes."

He also "exhorted the Moros to remove hatred in their hearts and start the national healing process," Arevalo said. —NB, GMA News