The Tawi Tawi island group, an offshore province of Mindanao, forms the southernmost province in the Philippines. Originally part of Sulu Province, gaining its independent provincial status in 1973, Tawi Tawi has developed a character all its own. The dominant ethnicity, the Sama, with all its disparate offshoots- from the Jama Mapun to the Sama Ubia- offer Tawi Tawi a distinctive character far different from Jolo, the central island in the adjacent province of Sulu. Jolo, and Sulu as a whole, is dominated by the Tausugs, a group that migrated from Butuan, by way of Basilan, six to seven centuries ago.
Tausug culture revolves around an honor code that governs mosy every aspect of male life. Known as "Adat" (akin to the "Kanun" of the Albanians or "Pashtunwali" of the Pashtun of Pakistan and Afghanistan), the code requires violent remedies for any afront to personal dignity or family honor. The result is a warrior culture, that has come to dominate not only the Tausug's adopted home of Jolo, but the offshore province of Basilan as well. The Sama, most offshoots anyway, are peaceful and seek co-existence with the Tausug at almost any cost. Tawi Tawi then has largely avoided the violence-including the Islamic Insurgencies- that have plagued both Jolo and Basilan for decades (actually centuries if one looks at the larger picture).
Piracy and KFR, or Kidnap for Ransom, have deep roots in the Tausug culture. This has been re-inforced by the introduction of Islam to the region just prior to the Tausu migration. Ransoming captives, non-Muslims anyway- is legal within Shari'a (Islamic Jurisprudence). Granted, most members of ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group) can barely read and write in their native languages, let alone Arabic, but there ARE a few who are highly educated, usually via scholarships offered by Middle Eastern nations. Therefore, fluent in Arabic and well versed in Shari'a, they offer up a precious Islamic rationalization that segues perfectly with ingrained cultural practices. Within Islam, the operative issue is the faith of a potential captive (must be a non-Muslim), and the existence of a state of war. I think anyone would be hardpressed to deny that Mindanao has been in just such a state, albeit ebbing and flowing, since pre-history. Indeed, it was a war in Butuan that drove the Tausug out of Mainland Mindanao and into Basilan (and shortly thereafter, Jolo).
The Sama though, have a very different culture. Aside from the Sama Ubian, who are actually Dayaks from Borneo who adapated to Sama influences, the culture is one of appeasement, and in the case of Jolo, subservience (so much for the ridiculous myth of Bangsamoro peoplehood..). One exception to this "culture of appeasement" are the Balangingi, a Sama group from the island of Balangingi who managed to dominate piracy in the Sulu and Celebes Seas until a genocidal attack by the Spanish Military in 1848 virtually destroyed the group.
Although the Tausug did not settle in Tawi Tawi in any great numbers, they continued their political, economic and cultural domination of Tawi Tawi. The subsequent "culture of appeasement" that developed amongst the Sama has for the most part, rendered Tawi Tawi far more sedate, and offers visitors a much greater sense of security. So much so in fact, that intrepid travellers, including Westerners, continue to visit the small island group without bothering to arrange any special security detail, as would be par for the course in Sulu (Jolo included), Basilan, and even in many parts of Mainland Mindanao.
Such was the case of two European taxidermists who share a deep interest in Birding, a pasttime that most refer to as "Birdwatching." 52 year old Ewold Horn left his home in Den Andel, in Groningen, Holland and met his friend and professional colleague Lorenzo Vinciguerra for a long awaited trip to the Southern Philippines. Vinciguerra, aged 47, owns a profitable taxidermy business in the town of Grub, in Switzerland, and like Horn he enjoys Birding more than he did his chosen trade, stuffing dead animals into likelike poses.
They planned on spotting, and hopefully photographing, several rare Philippine birds in what was to be a 14 day vacation. The highlight of this dream get away was a little known bitd endemic to just two of the 307 islands in the Tawi Tawi island group (and Jolo, now only existing on Mainland Tawi Tawi in a tiny area), the Sulu Hornbill (Anthracoceros Montani). The bird is considered to be on the verge of extinction with an estimated population of 27 adults. Such rarity renders the bird a hot item in the world of Birding. Indeed, the two men had travelled to Tawi Tawi in 1996 in hopes of catching a glimpse only to have their hopes dashed due to the sector being made off limits to foreigners while the AFP, or Armed Forces of the Philippines, undertook a security operation against the ASG.
Arriving in Zamboanga City on Saturday, January 28th, 2012, the two men rendevouzed with a Filipino Birding enthusiast, 32 year old Ivan Sardenas. Sardenas, a residentof Davao City had recently spent considerable time in Tawi Tawi as he sought to establish himself as a guide for nature enthusiasts. It was Sardenas who had put in the legwork in locating the latest sightings of the highly endangered bird and who then pre-arranged security for their expedition. Early Sunday morning, January 29th, the three men boarded a plane in Zamboanga City fora 45 minute flight to Bongao, the capital of Tawi Tawi.
At their hotel Ivan Sadenas called ahead to the municipality of Panglima Sugala, where four of the birds had been sighted in recent months. The Mayor's righthand man recommended that Sardenas employ Municipal Councilor Nestor
Camilo Cabarrubias Sr. as a local guide, and that the Councilor himself would then arrange the expedition's security using police officers from the MPO, or Municipal Police Office. Sardenas didnt have much choice in the matter but dis make the man aware that the expedition wasnt well funded and that the Security Detail would have to take this into account.
Leaving Bongao's Chinese Pier by motorbanca, Philippine speak for "motorized skiff," the group slowly skirted the coast of Mainland Tawi Tawi until reaching Panglima Sugala in the middle of the elongated island's coast. As the men disembarked and began wading through the surf the boat opetator repeated that he would be returning to that same spot to pick them up for their return trip on Wednesday, February 1st, three days hence. Casting off while wishing them luck, the party began carrying their gear through Barangay Bato Bato, the town center, or "Poblacion." As the group atrived at Municipal Hall they were greeted warmly by Councilor Cabarrubias and a lone UNARMED police officer who would be serving as the expedition's paltry "Security Detail."
After a very short meet and greet with town dignitaries the expedition piled into an SUV belonging to the Municipal Government, the expedition made its way to Tubig Malum, or as the Philippine Governmen refers to it, the Rio Hondo River. Parking the vehicle, to be retrieved later by other police officers, the group forded the river and began their tedious hike upcountry to Mount Balik Sampan where the expedition would sped the next three days encamped as the two Europeans and Ivan Sadenas would do their best to photograph their quarry, the Sulu Hornbill.
Wednesday, February 1st arrived and the expedition, having failed to even sight the elusive bird, re-packed their gear and began hiking back down to Tubig Malum where they were to part ways with their "Security Detail." Once at the river , Horn, Vinciguerra, and Sadenas began following it into Barangay Parangan. In that barangay's Sitio Luuk Luuk the three men were suprised, but elated to find the skiff was moored waiting for them, moored just off shore. It didnt take long at all to load the gear aboard and at just after 120PM the boat started its engine and turned back towards Bongao, where the three men hoped to spend a quiet evening back at the hotel, resting in comfort before the next day's flight back to Zamboanga City.
As the boat made its way offshore to skirt all the outriggers of fishermen and seaweed farmers, a pumpboat turned into the lane behind them. Within minutes everybody onboard the skiff was on edge, how much more so when the pumpboat pulled closer and Sadenas noticed the dual barrels of an M16 rifle fitted out with an M203 grenade launcher er. Before long the men in the pumpboat began screaming at the skiff and vigirously motioning with their arms, waving their assault rifles in a menacing fashion. However, it wasnt until a few rounds were fired over their heads that the skiff's operator began dejectedly easing off its throttle.
The pumpboat quickly pulled parallel before two men aboard it hooked the crafts together. Four gunmen quickly came aboard the skiff and pointed their barrels at all four men, motioning for Horn, Vinciguerra, and Sadenas to transfer themselves and their gear to the pumpboat. Forcing the fourth man, the boat opetator, to turn off his idling engine, they then snatched his keys, stole two of his batteries and forced him over the side at gunpoint.
Back aboard the pumpboat, the three captives were forced under a blue plastic tarp covering the foresection almost to.the bow. Quickly throttling up the pumpboat turned around as if to travel back towards Panglima Sugala. Before reaching that town's municipal boundry however, it veered into a "bakawan," or mangrove, where it rendevouzed with a second pumpboat with a markedly different appearance. Once again secured under a blue plastic tarp, the small craft turned out to sea and gunned its engines.
As the second pumpboat entered the waters off of the municipality of Languyan, an offshore islet came into view, pylling parallel to it the boat slowed considerably and finally began idling. Within ten minutes a third, larger pumpboat came at a high rate of speed from the fishing grounds just off of the town. Pulling abreast, the five gunmen aboatd received the three captives and their gear and as was the case twice before, Horn, Vinciguerra, and Sadenas wete forced out of sight under a blue plastic tarp. As this third pumpboat nosed itself out to sea the three captives took stock of their situation; with them under the tarp were three liter containers of fresh water and 55 gallon drums of fuel. With the boat heading out to the sealanes, and seeing a large cachet of fresh water and fuel, it was clear that they erre heading into a Sulu Province, and the ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group) base of operations, Jolo Island.
Ivan Sadenas knew well that it was the Europeans that their captors valued. Coming from a poor family and being a Christian Filipino, his life was worth practically nothing once the five gunmen handed them off to their cohorts on Jolo. Thinking fast, Sadenas told his two companions that he was thinking about making.a run for it by throwing himdelf ovrtboard. Promising the Horn and Vinciguerra that he would alert the authorities, he quietly lifted the edge of the tarp and saw that the five gunmen were busy amongst themselves. Making his way to the opposite side of the tarp he once again quietly lifted an edge and discovered that they were only 1,000 meters off of Mainland Tawi Tawi, smack dab in the middle of fishing grounds as the pumpboat sought cover as it made its way to a busier shipping lane.
Quickly realizing that the fishing grounds represented a great opportunity since witnesses would inhibit a violent reaction from his captors...at least he prayed it would...Sadenas lifted the tarp enough to climb up over the side of tge boat and quickly dove into the azure sea. Diving down as far as he could Ivan Sadenas furiously swam as far as he could until he felt his lungs would burst. Surfacing, desperate for air, he was shocked (and relieved) to find that the boat hadnt even slowed down. He was free, if he could make his way to shore anyway.
Waving his arms as he bobbed in the water, Sadenas quickly caught the attention of an outrigger crewed by three fishermen. Dragging the elated man aboard, the fishermen were able to piece together Sadena's story through gestures and.a few mutually intelligible words. The outrigger made its way to Panglima Sugala where Ivan Sadenas quickly summoned the police. Taking his report the MPO quickly notified the Police Provincial Office, or PPO. Per protocols, PPO-Tawi Tawi immediately notified the AFP's Naval Task Force 62 (TF-62) which handles all seaborne incidents in Tawi Tawi and the waters seperating that province from Borneo.
TF-62 consists of a tender and four patrol boats, along with personnel from MBLT-5 (Marine Battalion Landing Team #5). Despite this capable force, and.cordon it implenented around Mainland Tawi Tawi's eastern and northern coasts, the third pumpboat and the two Europeans, Ewold Horn and Lorenzo Vinciguerra, remained undiscovered. Within two days Governor Sadikul Sahali deployed a 2,000 man search party to comb Mainland Tawi Tawi's 275 square kilometers of jungle, within which Panglima Sugala sits. PPO-Tawi Tawi Director, Superintendent Rodelio Jocson, Chairperson of the Governor's Crisis Management Committee, the requisite entity empaneled to co-ordinate all Governmental responses to the kidnapping, wasted no time in going to the media and accusing Councilman Nestor Camilo Cabarrubias Sr. and his handpicked municipal police officer were pulling the strings on an "inside job."
Superintendent Jocson was naturally asked to elaborate. His bombshell? With a snide conspiratorial grimace, Jocson observed that when the expedition's motorbanca was overtaken by the first pumpboat, neither Councilor Cabarrubias nor the police officer were present, having left the expedition at the river. Of course that is absolutely ridiculous given the fact that the abduction occurred as the men were returning to Bongao. Why would Cabarrubias and the officer be aboard when their "services" had only been secured for Panglima Sugala?
The actual culprit was MNLF-Misuari officer, Kumander Sahi Tali, via his footsoldiers in and around Panglima Sugala. There arent many employment opportunnities in the province and the tourists coming to Panglima Sugala have helped to spawn a healthy cottage industry amongst young men from the immediate area. amany such youth are members of the MNLF-Misuari, a group ostensibly at peace with Manila although it is tenuous, if not an outright fantasy. One of tgese young men, Mustapha Muallam, bent at losing his P250 ($5.50) fee, contacted his immediate superior within the MNLF, who in turn got the go ahead from an underling of Kumander Tali. Tali's own superior, Kumander Habir Malik on Jolo, wanted to turn an easy profit.
The official narrative has the third pumpboat having turned back to Mainland Tawi Tawi after rough seas and a shortage of fuel convince the MNLF guerillas to try again another day. In reality there was no shortage of fuel as the vessel carried several spare drums. Moreover, people on Jolo saw the pumpboat land off of the municipality of Patikul on Jolo. Once on Jolo, Kumander Tali quickly sold both Europeans to Kumamder Yasset Igasan, leader of an ASG faction operating in the hills around Patikul.
Having only found the burned remnants of that first pumpboat in the mamgrove where it had transferred the captives, Governor Sahali finally conceeded that even the Dutch and Swiss Embassies no longer believed that thetwo men remained on Tawi Tawi. Sheepishly demobilizing the Crisis Management.Committee, the Governor them tossed the ball to his counterpart in Sulu, Governor Abdursakur Tan. PPO-Sulu however refused to even consider the possibility.
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