The Second Quarter of 2011 began on April 01, and as the saying goes, "it began with a bang." Students and faculty had just left the Graduation festivities at Valentina G.Plaza Elementary School in Sitio Balite, in Purok #7, Barangay La Purisima, Prosperidad, the provincial capitol of Agusan del Sur. As the guests trudged home, up the jungle trails radiating out of the government school's campus an armed band of Manobo Tribesmen were nervously waiting to pounce.
Led by 17 year old Kenken Perez, the 5 gunmen, armed with 1 M16, 1 M14, 1 M1, a 12 gauge and a 45 caliber pistol and all between the ages of 15 and 17 aimed to take hostages so as to finally gain justice for the Perez Clan. KenKen's older brother Joebert"Ondo"Perez was sitting in the provincial jail downhill in the town's Barangay Patin-ay. The family's trouble began in June of 2008 when the Tubay Clan, attacked and killed members of the Perez Clan over illegal logging rights on a particular strand of rain forest. In February, 2009 Ondo, an ex-paramilitary soldier led a group of clansmen in a bid to settle the score, resulting in the killing of 4 Tubay family members. Ironically the Perez Clan wasn't opposed to the Tubay Clan. The Tubay merely entered the fray in support of an ally, tribal chieftain Datu Kalbit.
By December of that year, 2009, authorities were ready to arrest Ondo and several family members over the February killings. As is often the case the PNP (Philippine National Police) contacted barangay officials to try and ascertain both the location of the wanted man as well as up to date intelligence on arms and any potential booby-traps. As is so often the case here on Mindanao, the local officials happened to be related to the Perez family and so he sent word to Ondo that they were about to serve a warrant of arrest on him for Multiple Murder, among other charges.
As one might expect Ondo didn't take the news well, all the more so when no warrants had ever been served against the Tubay Clan, whose murdering of Ondo's family members had sparked the feud. On Thursday, December 09, 2009 just after daybreak Ondo led 15 gunmen downhill to a more settled portion of of the municipality, Sitio Maitum, Barangay San Martin. The men announced to the startled villagers that they should all gather in front of the Barangay Hall for an "Important Announcement" at 6AM. With only about a dozen curious villagers taking the bait Ondo announced that the announcement was that he had kidnapped them, then had his gunmen swarm anyone out and about. All told the armed band ended up taking 125 hostages, mostly young students from Maitum Elementary School, but including school staff and 2 VERY unluck loggers working for a multi-national timber concession, "Casilayan Softwood Development Corporation."
Forcing the terrified hostages uphill at gunpoint the Perez gunmen finally broke camp 2 kilometers up country, north of the sitio in an abandoned cement and cinderblock structure. Realising that 125 people were too many to control Ondo ended up releasing 50 hostages. It was at that point that authorities in the central part of the municipality became aware of a serious hostage situation taking place in the mountains above them, though, the municipal PNP detachment later recalled receivibg reports of gunfire in Barangay La Purisima, near the hostage taking site at about 8AM. After the requisite notifications to authorities higher up the food chain the mayor hastily convened a CMC, or "Crisis Management Committee." Appointing himself chairman he allowed provincial DSWD (Department of Social Welfare) Director, Josefina Bajade taking the actual point position. His rationale was extremely simple, as a Bisaya, a Cebuano speaker, he was unable to communicate with the gunmen who only conversed in Agusan Manobo, their tribal language. Luckily for the mayor, Ms.Bajade is fluent in Agusan- Manobo.
With Ms.Bajade talking directly to Ondo, first by cellphone and then face to face the CMC was able to quantify Ondo's demands. First and foremost Ondo wanted the warrant rescinded. He then said he wanted Jun Tubay, the Tubay clan leader to be arrested for the murders he had committed in 2008, and if that weren't immediately possible he wanted the Tubays disarmed. Allowing Ondo to fully articulate his demands ended up taking a fair amount of wind out of his sails. The adrenaline now waning he quietly complied with Ms.Bajade's gentle suggestion that he free some of the remaining hostages as a goodwill gesture to prove his sincerity to the CMC. At 345PM the gunmen released 18 more hostages, 17 of them children. The 18th, an elderly woman was released because of physical infirmities.
The remaining 57 hostages were all adults, school staff, the 2 loggers and the villagers of Sitio Maitum. By nightfall the incident had reached national proportions with media rushing to the isolated Northeast corner of Mindanao. With that added attention came added pressures for everyone involved. Ondo now seriously faced a very heavy military response. Likewise, the CMC now had President Arroyo and her lackeys breathing down their necks. The Mighty Mental Midget of Malacanang insisted on thorough updates every 15 minutes and woe to the one who had nothing new and substantiative to add. To top things off, Ms.Bajade, terribly out of her element began cozying up to the media. Taking them into her misplaced confidence she crowed about the injustices Ondo had had to deal with. Egging her on the media got Ms.Bajade to tell them all about her deep friendship with Ondo and his family and so she came off looking as if she was coddling a hostage-taking gunman. Worse yet, she had caved into the media's demands and been taking increasingly larger groups of journalists uphill to the cement building, risking having the journalists being taken hostage as well.
By Friday morning, December 10, Josefina Bajade had been sidelined. Taking her place was Tata Perez (no relation to Ondo), another Manobo-speaking Bisaya who was then serving as the Executive Assistant to the provincial governor. The situation became bizarre when Ms.Bajade, possibly seeking attention, corralled the media and "revealed" that during the murder of Jun Tubay's family members Ondo had actually been with Ms.Bajade and her husband. At this point the media derisively dubbed her, "Ondo's Attorney." She had been shelved after angry criticism from PRO (Police Regional Office) Caraga (the region in which Agusan del Sur Province sits) Director, Sr.Supt.Nestor Monton Fajura told the national media that, "she is giving us a headache the way she is negotiating with these criminals." The inference being that "negotiation" should have never taken place. Usually, there is no hostage negotiation to speak of. The general PNP modus operandi is to shoot first, ask questions later and who really cares if hostages end up dead in the process. That semi-retarded reasoning would end up causing a huge political incident with the killing of a group of hostages visiting Manila from Hong Kong but that was still in the future at that point.
It should be noted that Sr.Supt.Fajura made his observations from the comfort of his airconditioned office in Butuan City, 80 kilometers to the north of the hostage situation, never once bothering to visit the site. Even more pathetically, when asked his prediction for the outcome of the hostage drama, he piggishly turned to the cameras and offered that Ondo would hold out until December 14, when Triple M herself, President Arroyo would be visiting Caraga. Asked to explain, Fajura responded that Ondo would do so because he wanted a "dramatic conclusion," one in which he could portray himself as a victim, "as if they are the oppressed."
The Agusan Manobo it should be noted regularly die from malnutrition, rarely obtain 5th grade educations and are generally treated like garbage so Sr.Supt.Fajura really over played his hand that day.
At 7AM a female hostage, Templanza Avenido, asked Ondo if it was OK for her to drop by her house nearby to get a change of clothes and feed her livestock. Amazingly he not only agreed but also released 2 other female hostages sitting next to her:
1) Rita Fernandez
2) Zenaida Maglasang
At 10AM that morning the CMC sank even lower by enlisting not only Ondo's elderly father, Conrado, but Ondo's 10 year old daughter as well in an attempt to emotionally manipulate him into freeing his remaining hostages.
As the day progressed Friday, December 10, 2009 negotiations slowly progressed, with Ondo understandably angry over Josefina Bajade being removed from the equation. Rule 1 in Hostage Negotiation is to employ a point of contact that is able to develop a rapport with the lead hostage taker. Noone can deny that Ms.Bajade had already had that rapport going into the affair though she had been chosen simply on the basis of her language skills. Still, removing her was entirely wrong (an understatement). Her faults were manageable and were more than a fair exchange in return for her unmatched rapport. Still, it didn't propel the drama towards tragedy and so that huge error can be overlooked, as indeed it has. Had Ondo turned around and dispatched his 54 remaining hostages it might be a different story entirely.
As if to prove the stupidity of removing Ms.Bajade, shortly before she left negotiations, at 1PM Ondo agreed, as a concession for the lead. Negotiator, to release 6 more of his hostages:
1) Lillia Caube
2) Benita Dolorito
3) Eloisa Abala
4) Merly Sanchez
5) Mary Jane Goden
6) Felix Lacre
In another huge error of judgement the authorities backed off of negotiations each evening at nightfall, 7PM. That evening after everyone had traipsed back down the mountain Ondo became involved in a conversation with a hostage named Nestor after finding the man near tears. During their talk Nestor revealed that his father's wake was taking place that evening in his home town of Tandag, in neighbouring Surigao del Sur Province. Suprisingly, Ondo told Nestor he was free to attend the wake as long as he promised to return the next day. Nestor, shocked, walked out and into freedom leaving 47 hostages remaining.
After daybreak Saturday, December 11, the CMC added the Bishop of Butuan City, Juan de dos Pueblos as an unofficial member of the negotiating team. Though most Agusan Manobo are Animists they do place great respect in other forms of religion. By the afternoon the Archbishop and Ondo's father were able to relay a breakthrough concerning Ondo's primary demand, the recall of the warrant. Not long after talks broke off with Ondo promising to give his decison at daybreak.
Sunday morning, December 12, Ondo greeted his father and announced that he was willing to end the standoff in exchange for the authorities' guarantee over the warrant, but insisted on a written guarantee (despite his not being able to read in any language, let alone in Cebuano, Tagalog or English, the languages it would be written in). Ondo's father hiked downhill and after relaying his son's message accompanied most of the CMC back up hill where they held a 2 hour meeting with Ondo. The 1 page written agreement had the charges against Ondo being withdrawn from the Regional Trial Court and transferred to the Agusan-Manobo Tribal Court so that the killings could be judged within the proper cultural context. Before signing off on the document Ondo waited for assurances that a tribal shaman, Datu Josue Duhac had made a ceremonial sacrifice of chickens and a hog to gain spiritual assistance for Ondo and his 15 men. Receiving word that the sacrifice had taken place Ondo happily affixed his thumbprint on the hastily composed document. Signing for the government was the governor of Agusan del Sur Province, Valentina"Tina"G.Plaza, Vice Governor Santiago Cane Jr., PNP PRO-Caraga Director, Sr.Supt.Antonio Paguirigan, Fr.Lito Clase (for the Bishop), NCIP (National Commission of Indigenous People) Caraga Regional Director Jose"Jake"Dumagan and...Josefina Bajade. Smiling, feeling safe, Ondo turned to his gunmen and ordered them to release the remaining 47 hostages.
The hostages joyously walked downhill after slightly more than 75 hours and into a media barrage. Not long after the CMC and Ondo et al walked hand in hand , smiling into the media glare. Ondo was told that he would be driven to the Bishop's Residence in Butuan City so as to assure his safety from the Tubay Clan and its supporters. Tired, but relieved, Omdo climbed into the backseat of the mayor's SUV...and was promptly driven to the Provincial Jail. There he was stripped and thrown into a dungeon-like cell. The double-cross was deftly handled. The authorities pretended that Ondo was safe in Butuan, sometimes giving media soundbites just meters from the jail. Municipal PNP Chief,Sr.Supt. Leonardo Espina had the gall to tell reporters on Wednesday, December 15 that the NCIP (National Commission on Indigenous Peoples) was just about to get Ondo's warrant rescinded and charges transferred from Regional Trial Court to the Agusan-Manobo Tribal Court. As he was saying this, Ondo had been formally charged the day before, not only in the Multiple Murder case (only 3 of the 4 counts) but with 125 counts of Kidnapping and Illegal Detention as well!
Fast forward to April 01, 2011...As Ondo and 13 of his 15 men (since the ones aged 17 and 16 are "juveniles" and therefore exempt from all prosecution) sat stewing in the provincial jail. Knowing how Ondo had been lied to his brother Kenken devised a way in which to try and remedy the situation. Kenken, along with friends Toto Navarro, Rejoy Brital and Alejandro Brital decided that they would emulate Ondo and take hostages. What better way than to express their frustration over Ondo's treatment? Uneducated, none of the teens having passed 4th grade, its doubtful then that any of them were able to grasp the concept of "irony" and yet they were able to nail it to a tee.
Quickly rounding up 12 people returning from the afore mentioned Graduation Ceremony at Valentina G.Plaza Elementary School (named after the governor who signed the fake agreement with Ondo, irony indeed) they began herding the captives at gunpoint when another brother of Ondo's, Allan"Ilag"Perez worriedly ran into the group as they moved up the jungle trails. Unable to dissuade Kenken he then joined them on impulse. It was at this point that Kenken decided to grab 3 "habal-habal" drivers as well, hapless motorcycle taxi drivers who were hoping to pick up a fare as the crowd headed home.
The 15 hostages:
1) Hipolito Lastimado, School District Supervisor
2) Narciso Oliveros, School District Supervisor II
3) Joel Sausa, Values Teacher, Santa Irene Elementary School
4) Apolonio Alibangbang, Head Teacher, La Purisima Elementary School
5) Manuel Moderno, Teacher In Charge, Maasin Elementary School
6) Allan Galdiano, Teacher, Valentina G.Plaza Elementary School
7) Filipina Quitoy, Teacher In Charge, Inagawan Elementary School
8) Arnold Quitoy, the husband of hostage #7
9) Diosdideth Canbantac, Teacher In Charge, Valentina G.Plaza Elementary School Pre-School
10) Mary Jane Bedrijo, Pre-School Teacher, Valentina G.Plaza Elementary School
11) Marvin Jay Corvera, Student at Valentina G.Plaza Elementary School, age 12
12) Sirena Fe Cabantac, Student at Valentina G.Plaza Elementary School, age 10
13) Galvan Vocales, habal-habal driver
14) Zaldy Rodriguez, habal-habal driver
15) Ribo Binambang, habal-habal driver
Almost immediately authorities were informed and Mayor Allan Magdamit repeated the steps taken in 2009. Convening a new CMC he suprisingly asked Josefina Bajade to serve as point. All in all it was an intelligent decison (just as it had been in 2009) given that just as in the prior case, none of the hostage takers could speak anything besides their own tribal language, Agusan-Manobo. Joining them on the CMC were:
1) Gilbert Perez, Barangay Captain of Barangay La Purisima (the barangay where the incident took place),
2) Rommel Villamor, Chief Inspector, Commanding Officer of the PNP's Provincial Public Safety Company,
3) Jerone [sic] S.Baxinela, Sr.Supt., Provincial PNP Commanding Officer,
4) Rodrigo P.Diapana, Col., Commanding Officer of the 402nd Brigade (4ID), AFP,
5) Neil Richard Patricio, LTC., Commanding Officer, 26IB (402 Bde,4ID), AFP,
Though not officialy part of the CMC the team did include Chief Supt.Reynaldo Serrano Rafal, Director of the PNP's PRO-Caraga (Police Regional Office).
The first time they all were present was for a 9AM meeting in Mayor Magdamit's office at the municipal hall. Ms.Bajade informed the CMC that per her "negotiations" with Kenken the evening before the immediate demand of the hostage takers was food and drink. Their objective in taking hostages however was to force the government into finally keeping its word and releasing Ondo and his 15 gunmen. Unlike the 2009 incident the gunmen were staying immobile. During the day the hostages were being ferried from clearing to clearing deep in the jungle while at night, thus far, they had encamped in small tribal settlemnts. Ms.Bajade was quickly excused to resume negotiations as the rest of the CMC did what CMCs do best, sat on their thumbs, drinking coffee and giggling in between the calls from Manila.
Almost immediately though some changes were more than apparent. Most noticeably there was no media at the CMC Base Camp in the mountains. Where as Ms.Bajade had been so accomodating in 2009, she was unapproachable now. The Mayor, as Chairman of the CMC, informed the media that they would be confined to the town's basketball court down the street from the municipal hall. Updates would be doled out as the CMC saw fit, non-negotiable. Not used to being marginalised, people got antsy pretty fast. As tempers flared it was journalists themselves who smoothed things over by pointing out that since the "Hong Kong" debacle in Manila, where media interderence directly caused the death of numerous hostages the CMC policy should have been expected. There wasn't much at all for any journalist to complain about after that slap in the face.
That afternoon, Saturday April 02, Ms.Bajade conferred with Mayor Magdamit by cellphone and relayed that Kenken Perez was demanding to speak to his brother Ondo- in person. After first spitting invectives into his handset the mayor hatched an idea of his own. Trying to turn the tables on the hostage takers he quickly made his way to the provincial jail in Barangay Patin-ay and had Ondo brought out to see him. Taking Ondo into an unused office he confirmed what Ondo had already heard in gossip from the police officers guarding the jail (the Philippines doesn't use correctional officers but merely has police officers pull duty as prison guards). Talking to Ondo the mayor tried to communicate the seriousness of the situation. He allowed Ondo to infer that 2 of his teenaged brothers and some of their friends were about to die when the military and police stormed their position. Then Mayor Magdamit laid it all on Ondo, telling him that it was all because of Ondo that more of his family would lose their lives. Desperate now to avert what he perceived as the inevitable conclusion it was Ondo himself that volunteered to bring the drama to a quiet and safe end. The mayor said that he couldn't guarantee any results but IF Ondo was truly serious he would go to bat for him and try to get him the opposrtunity to help his brothers.
It took the mayor all of an hour to get a Regional Trial Court judge to issue a Temporary Release Order that would allow him to take full custody of Ondo for an unspecified period of time. It was at that point that Josefina Bajade informed Kenken Perez that they would fulfill Kenken's demand and brong Ondo to him. They afreed to meet in that same jungle clearing at 8AM the next day, Sunday, April 03.
Very early Sunday morning the mayor and Ms.Bajade took custody on Ondo, along with 2 plainclothes soldiers, and piled into the mayor's SUV for the ride to Barangay La Purisima, Arriving on time at the jungle clearing they were sadly suprised to find the glade empty. Waiting 3 hours, until 11AM, they dejectedly returned Ondo to jail. The rest of the day passed without contact as pressure began mounting in certain corners for the implementation of a military solution (i.e. "Kill the kidnappers and most of the hostages").
On Monday, April 04 the "military option" was gaining support and the media, frustrated on the basketball court was losing patience even more rapidly. As the tension reached fever pitch the CMC met back in the municipal hall, trying to reach a consensus one way or the other. They were shocked when 2 soldiers rushed into the mayor's office blurting out that 2 of the hostages had just casually ridden into Barangay Poblacion on a motorcycle to pick up some medicine at a pharmacy. The CMC rushed outside en masse and to their suprise they found that the soldiers had been right! Hipolito Lastimado and Diosdideth Canbantac had indeed been allowed to come off the mountain. Using 1 of the motorcycles discarded when the 3 habal-habal drivers had been taken hostage they had ridden tandem, with the threat that should they not return hostages would die. Their captors had allowed them to go because they were qorried about the condition of 1 of the 2 children being held. Of course, it is sad indeed that the PNP amd AFP cordon was so inept that 2 hostages on a motorcycle could make their way into the heart of the provincial capitol with noone the wiser.
The mayor quickly ushered the 2 men into his office where he debriefed them. To their horror the CMC then forbade their return. Forgetting that a sick child needed medicine, what about the threat to kill hostages? This simply doesn't factor into the government's thinking. To the gunmens' credit they failed to follow through on their threats and the following afternoon, Tuesday April 05 they released the sick hostage. 12 year old Marvin Jay Corvera. Was immediately hospitalised and went onto make a full recovery.
That evening it was decided, once again, to replace Ms.Bajade with Rolando Brital, father of hostage taker Rejoy Brital, hoping once again to use familial pressure to make some progress. Ms.Bajade remained on the CMC but was removed as the official point of contact in favour of Mr.Brital who appointment as such was pretty much a cosmetic move. It was at that point that the CMC went public with the fact that the kidnappers weren't educated enough to understand that the authorities simply couldn't erase Ondo's charges. The CMC expressed frustration with telling comments that ridiculed not only the gunmen but their families and tribe. "It is extremely frustrating when dealing with people who can't even read, let alone understand the simplest of issues. Of course one cannot blame them, the differences are largely cultural."
It was Monday evening that President Aquino could no longer control himself and entered the fray. Expressing his own ineptitude he warned that the standoff better end soon, "or else." That night he deployed Secretary of Infrastructure and Local Government, Jesse M.Robredo south to Mindanao to further pressure the CMC and antagonise the hostage takers. Of all the things to micro-manage, this wasn't one of them. As Secretary Robredo huffed and puffed local tribal leaders begged for a chance to help solve the standoff. Of course they were ignored and so it continued until 6AM, Wednesday, April 06 at which point the 12 remaining hostages were left in a jungle clearing as the gunmen slipped into the jungle where they remain until now, not only well armed but knowing that should they try and go the straight and narrow they can only hope to join Ondo in jail. Just another group of pissed off young men carrying automatic weapons in the jungles of Mindanao.
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