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| Arrest of an Abu Sayyaf Suspect Ravages His Poor Family |
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| Written by Aileen Alam |
| Thursday, 04 February 2010 07:16 |
  ZAMBOANGA CITY-A CASE of forced disappearance has been filed by the wife of Abu Sayyaf suspect Roman Sahibban with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), whose subsequent investigation revealed that her husband was seized by elements of Philippine Air Force intelligence unit from the suspect’s store in Suterville street, in this city. On July 16, 2009 at around 4:00 P.M., Sahibban together with his children and wife were busy attending their small carinderia located in Suterville, this city when a white van stopped near them. Six armed persons in civilian attire, who did not identify themselves, forcibly dragged Sahibban and took him inside the vehicle. Before they sped away, told Fatma to go to the police if she wants to see her husband again. Three of his children with his wife, Fatma Abdurahman, witnessed the incident. In an interview, their daughter, Ferwina cried as she recalled how his father was arrested. The family looked for Roman for many days in police offices but could not locate him anymore. Atty. Frederick Ian S. Capin, acting regional director of CHR, said that through his office’s intercession, Fatma was finally able to meet with her husband on the day he was flown to Metro Manila for detention and prosection. Before his arrest, Sahibban and his wife together their six children lived in a small ramshackle house at San Jose Gusu, near Barangay Hall. Now that he is far away from them and unable to provide for them, his family struggle to keep body and soul together. Ridzkan, his 13 year old son along with his younger sister Ferwina serve as breadwinner of the family. These two youngsters have stopped schooling to earn a living – Ridzkan as a pedicab driver and Ferwina as an occasional parking aide. Their mother is kept busy trying to get all the help she could to help her husband face his ongoing case. The poor is extremely poor, with practically no relatives being able to help them cope. They have no single appliance in their wobbly, one-room house. Sahibban is now lodged in the Metro Manila District Jail Camp in Bagong Diwa Bicutan, Taguig City. Assistant Regional State Prosecutor Peter L. Medalle said Sahibban was arrested on the strength of a warrant of arrest issued by the RTC-Branch III, Jolo, Sulu under Criminal Case No.815-3 for six counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention stemming from the Sipadan, Malaysia kidnapping of Western tourists and Filipinos in 2000. Although only the name of Abu Sayyaf leader Radulan Sahirrun is mentioned in the warrant, a suspect like Sahibban may be presumed to be one among the nameless “et al.” suspects of the same warrant. Prosecutor Medalle, who has been assigned to handle Abu Sayyaf cases for sometime, said: “It is my role to screen the arrested person...I don’t rely on the assets of military.” According to him, Sahibban was positively identified by one of the state witnesses in the Sipadan affair. In an interview with PeaceWorks arranged by Medalle, the witness said he was one of the victims in the Sipadan incident. He alleged he recognized the face of Sahibban in a confrontation after his arrest, since he saw him in one of the Abu Sayyaf camps during his captivity, though he did not have the occasion to talk with the suspect. According to him, Sahibban acted as one of the runners of the kidnappers, delivering supplies and medicines. The witness said that “when I was in Radulan Sahirrun’s group, there I saw Roman Sahibban aka Abu Omar. He was called ‘Oms’ by his companions…I saw him for more or less three weeks in Bandang Talipao.” But Abdurahman Sahibban, father of Roman, said that he and his wife, Rosalia Sahibban, together with their eight children fled from Jolo immediately after it was burned down during fightings between the Moro National Liberation Front and Armed Forces of the Philippines elements in 1974. Attempting to defend his son, the father said that since 1974 and until today none of his children, including his son Roman, ever set foot again in Jolo. According to the CHR, Sahibban in pleading innocence during his interrogation said he was physically abused and was forced to admit by his government captors that he was an Abu Sayyaf member. On the average, our office received as many as five to six cases of complaints similar to that of Sahibban every year, Atty. Capin said. |