AFP TOP BRASS COULD BE BEHIND

ARLYN’S ABDUCTION--REMULLA

Former television journalist and now Cavite congressman Gilbert Remulla today expressed suspicion that top military commanders could be directly behind the abduction of former colleague Arlyn de la Cruz.

                Remulla, House Assistant Minority Floor Leader, said that in the 98 days that de la Cruz was in captivity, there was a consistent and well-orchestrated campaign to destroy her credibility as a journalist. He cited as an example the circulation of a supposed letter of Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Sabaya who reportedly issued an instruction to liquidate De la Cruz for allegedly swindling their group.

                The letter was reportedly seized by Army soldiers in Basilan and was eventually leaked to the media. Even insinuations that De la Cruz was seized by the Abu Sayyaf bandits emanated from the military, Remulla said.                         

                It was also the military and police which made public that De la Cruz was brokering for the release of the two American Abu Sayyaf captives, Martin and Gracia Burnham.

                “It was the military and the police which circulated the supposed Abu Sabaya letter. They were also the ones who claimed that Arlyn is helping the Abu Sayyaf to secure ransom for the two hostages and she was kidnapped after she allegedly double-crossed them. Now, it turns out that Moro National Liberation Front integrees, who are now part of the AFP’s chain-of-command,  are the ones who took her,” Remulla pointed out.

“If this was true, I can only conclude that this was part of an orchestrated effort to destroy Arlyn’s reputation in an attempt to hide the ones who are really responsible for her abduction,” Remulla said.

                Remulla said the revelation of De la Cruz that her abductors are MNLF integrees clearly disputes the claim of the AFP that it was the Abu Sayyaf who took the feisty television journalist and opens the possibility that it was sanctioned by their commanders.

                He said that this should be the focus of the Senate investigation although he is proposing a joint legislative inquiry “so that all issues concerning Arlyn’s abduction can be fully exposed.”

                “We should not just scratch from the surface. We should really probe deeper into Arlyn’s case and find out who masterminded her abduction,” Remulla said.

                The Cavite solon also finds it very suspicious that the AFP has not exerted any genuine effort to save De la Cruz. He said there is a real possibility that she was seized for the purpose of keeping her away from the Abu Sayyaf and prevent her from reporting the real situation of the Burnhams and another hostage, Filipina nurse Deborah Yap.