Sabban named Marines chief after Eugenio Vagni's release

MANILA, Philippines – A Marine general spearheading the hunt for local terrorists in southern Philippines and once a participant in the bloodiest coup attempt in Philippine history has been named the incoming commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps. The appointment of Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban as Marines commandant came shortly after the release of Italian Red Cross worker Eugenio Vagni from Abu Sayyaf captivity in Sulu early Sunday morning. "The appointment orders of General Sabban as the next commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps was signed last night [Monday night]," military information chief Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. told a press briefing Tuesday at Camp Aguinaldo. Sabban will be replacing Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, who will, in turn, be replacing Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga as commander of the Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom). Allaga is retiring on Thursday, when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56. "May orders na para sa pagiging commandant ko sa Marines. Ang ceremonies will be on Friday, kasi mauuna yung turnover sa Westmincom. So I’m happy…I have achieved every Marine officer’s dream," Sabban said in a radio interview Tuesday. [I already have the orders to be a Marine commandant. The installation ceremonies will be on Friday because the turnover at the Westmincom will have to come first. So I’m happy…I have achieved every Marine officer’s dream.] Sabban, current head of Joint Task Force Comet, belongs to the Philippine Military Class of 1978, which counts President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as its adopted member. He used to be part of the Young Officers Union (YOU) that joined other military rebels in staging the bloodiest coup attempt against the Aquino administration in December 1989. Reminded of Sabban's military adventurism background, Brawner said: "Well, of course everybody is given another chance...There might have been instances in his career where he went against the rules and regulations...but everybody is given the chance to prove himself." Task Force Comet Sabban's Task Force Comet is composed of government troops tasked to go after Abu Sayyaf bandits and to secure the release of three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers, including Vagni, kidnapped by the group on January 15. Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba was released by the Abu Sayyaf on April 2, while Swiss Andreas Notter walked free from his captors last April 18 Vagni was the last to be freed on July 12, after nearly six months in captivity. In Tuesday’s interview, Sabban attributed Vagni’s release to the successful military operations that mounted pressure on the Abu Sayyaf. Sabban said that over the last three weeks, government troops had launched offensives against the extremist group, which resulted in the death of some of its members, including the relatives of its leaders, Dr. Abu and Albader Parad. The operations also forced the Abu Sayyaf to splinter into smaller groups, Sabban said. No head swap He likewise denied that Vagni’s release was a case of “prisoner swap," where the ICRC worker was granted freedom is in exchange for the release of Parad’s wives, who were arrested last week after a bombing incident in Jolo in Sulu province. On July 7, the Marines seized Rowena “Honey" Aksan and Nursima “Simang" Annudden and four others at a checkpoint in Indanan, Sulu. "The motorcycles they were riding were unregistered so we had reason to hold them," Sabban said. In a separate statement, Navy spokesperson Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo said that the six people did not resist arrest even as they were allegedly behind the Jolo bombing. "Found in their possession were cellular phones, crisp P7,000 worth of bills, and three paper bundlers at P100,000 each. There is reason to suspect that the cellular phones caught in their possession could be part of the triggering mechanism that set off the bomb," Arevalo said. In an earlier interview on Monday, Sulu Vice Governor Nur-Ana “Lady Ann" Sahidulla said the six people were eventually cleared from involvement in the explosion. It was not immediately clear which Prosecutor’s Office in Sulu cleared them. Brawner said Parad's wives had to stay at Sahidullah’s house "due to gender and cultural sensitivities." When Parad learned that his wives were being held, the Abu Sayyaf sub-leader called Sahidulla and requested that one of his wives, Aksan, be brought to him. Sahidulla earlier said that she brought Aksan to Parad on Saturday afternoon. Vagni’s release took place predawn Sunday, but Sahidulla had denied that it was in exchange for Parad’s wives. In Tuesday’s interview, Sabban said that Vagni’s release also stemmed from negotiations on how the government could help the Abu Sayyaf into embracing reform to end the spate of kidnappings in Sulu. "We (Parad and I) were talking about development, what benefits their families could get kung bumaba na sila at tapusin na itong violence sa Sulu [if they would go down the mountains and end the violence in Sulu]. So that in totality it contributed to what happened and finally, the release of Vagni," Sabban said. - with a report from Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV