The July 12th, 2011 KFR, or Kidnap for Ransom of Gerfa Yeatts Lunsmann, her 14 year old son Kevin Erik Lunsmann and her 19 year old nephew Romnick Jakaria made headlines for a few days immediately after the incident took place, until the Government implemented a "news blackout," a euphanism for "overt censorship" over the case. As I noted in two KFR entries, "Kidnapping for the Third Quarter of 2011, Part II" and "Kidnapping for the Fourth Quarter of 2011, Part I," cases involving foreigners are much more important to both local authorities and the domestic media than the thrice weekly kidnappings of Filipinos. It is understandable that Western-based media sources would tebnd to focus on the kidnapping of Westerners but the Philippine Government and domestic media's obsession with foreigners is a bit more complex.
As I have noted in those two aforementioned entries, Gerfa Yeatts Lunsmann was born Jerpa Usman, to a Samal tribal family on Pangapuyan, a small island technically belonging to Zamboanga City. As a young child she was whisked away to America by a missionary couple who then re-named her Gerfa Yeatts. As an adult she met and married a co-worker at a healthcare corporation, Hiko Lunsmann. Eventually the couple had a son, Kevin Erick, and settled into a rather idyllic routine in a rural Virginia sub-division, in Campbell County.
Ms.Lunsmann had longed for and dreamed of re-kindling her relationship with her birth family, still residing on a group of islands in between Basilan and Zamboanga City. Shortly after Kevin Erik was born Ms.Lunsmann followed through and re-connected with her family. Buying a large lot on Tictabon Island, part of Zamboanga City, she set about constructing a large residential compound with three spacious homes. Not understanding local mores Ms.Lunsmann became irked as more and more members of her large extended family came out of the woodwork asking for money. Not suprisingly Ms.Lunsmann closed the spigot and refused to keep doling out ever increasing sums of cash.
One of those relatives who ended up feeling slighted was her sister Alma Jakaria, who had ended up living on Mamalawi Island, administratively attached to Isabela City on Basilan. On Ms.Lunsmann's latest visit to the Philippines Ms.Jakaria and her 19 year old son Romnick Jakaria arrived at the Tictabon Island compound just two days before Gerfa and Kevin Erick were set to depart for their return trip to the US. Romnick Jakaria however, is a member of the BIAF, or Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, as the military wing of the MILF is known, a guerilla in its 114 Base Command. Despite being related to Ms.Lunsmann he led a kidnapping team from the 113 Base Command, under sub-Kumander Waning Abdusalam, who until two weeks ago operated out of the municipality of Payao, in Zamboanga Sibugay Province.
Although the 114 Base Command is quite capable on its own, certain islands are within the jurisdiction of the 113 and so it was a joint operation. The 113 Base Command took its two captives, Gerfa Lunsmann and her son Kevin Erik and delivered them to a detachment of the 114 Base Command waiting in Basilan. Jakaria was of course reportedly a kidnap victim as well but just two days later was back on Mamalawi Island hanging out in the open, only heading into Basilan Proper when he received word the a composite detachment of police and soldiers were accompanying his mother Alma to Mamalawi to investigate Romnick's reported presence there.
Ms.Lunsmann was released on October 3rd, after an initial ransom payment was given to MILF representatives. Kevin Erik though remained behind in an interesting development given that most parents would opt to release their children before themselves and yet it is completely understandable given the BIAF propencity to rape female victims.
On Saturday, November 12th Romnick Jakaria had a barangay councilor, Ariel Laping, from Barangay Tubigan in the municipality of Maluso, broker his surrender to an AFP, or Armed Forces of the Philippines Corporal Lazo, who as a Cadre Officer commands that barangay's CAFGU detachment (CAFGU, or Civilian Armed Force Geographical Unit, the primary entity in the AFP's paramilitary programme known as CAAs, or Civilian Active Auxilaries). Coporal Lazo then delivered Jakaria to an AFP garrison in Barangay Abong- Abong. The AFP then told two different stories, both of which had Jakaria as a victim. The first story had Jakaria sneaking away from his BIAF captors after they fell asleep, due to the AFP's relentless operational pursuit, "Perhaps the kidnappers were exhausted after running around..."- Colonel Ricardo Visaya, Commanding Officer of the 104th Infantry Brigade.
The second story had the AFP's Scout Rangers hounding the BIAF until they simply released Jakaria to get some rest. Suuuuuure. Meanwhile, both stories had Jakaria undergoing "questioning," as in interrogation and NOT debriefing. Kevin Erik Lunsmann remains in captivity with the 114 Base Command.
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