Military: Abus receiving funds from unidentified donor (Philippine Star Article)

I had re-posted this on my blog, because Philipine Star does not archive their news.

Military: Abus receiving funds from unidentified donor

Philippine Star, Tuesday, October 16, 2007

The Abu Sayyaf has obtained funds through the popular video-sharing website YouTube, police said yesterday.

However, Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao, Philippine National Police spokesman, said police have prevented the terrorists from using the funds to launch a new wave of bombings.

“The money arrived after the (Abu Sayyaf) uploaded on the Internet the video of the late Janjalani brothers (Abdurajak and Khadaffy, both slain in police and military operations) seeking material and financial support,” he said.

Pagdilao said the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency has obtained “significant reports of new money received by the Abu Sayyaf’s financial network” in Mindanao.

The source of the funding was undisclosed, he added.

Armed Forces spokesman, Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, said he is verifying the report.

“I am coordinating with our various intelligence units to check on that,” he said.

“As of now, I am still confirming this report with our various intelligence units.”

The video titled “The Filipino Lions are Coming” showed the Janjalani brothers appealing in Arabic for material and financial support for the Abu Sayyaf, Pagdilao said.

Khadaffy Janjalani was killed in September in fighting against US-backed government troops on Jolo island.

Abdurajak, who fought with the mujahedeen against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s, later returned home and organized the Abu Sayyaf, his nom de guerre. He was killed in a clash with police in 1998.

Meanwhile, an anti-terrorism official has branded the anti-terror law as a failure in stopping terrorists.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the recent bombings in Mindanao have proven that the Abu Sayyaf and the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah are not afraid of the Human Security Act of 2007.

“These terrorist groups continue plotting and would execute their terror plan every given opportunity,” the official said.

Defense Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor, Anti-Terrorism Commission spokesman, could not be reached for comment.

On the other hand, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said law enforcement officers have rarely used the Human Security Act, which went into force in July, because of the “harsh punishment” it contains for mistakes and abuses committed by authorities.

“The requirements on our enforcers are very strict,” he said.

“There is a thinking in the Cabinet cluster on security that maybe we should seek amendments to the law.”

However, Gonzales said amending the law would be difficult because of the opposition’s dominance in the Senate, which introduced the

strict safeguards to prevent possible abuses before approving the law.

“When the political situation improves, then this is something worth pursuing,” he said. “It should be a nonpartisan effort.”

An official involved in counterterrorism operations said many military and police officials believe the Human Security Act could be used against them even for “honest mistakes” like wrongful arrests made because of inaccurate tips from informants.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

Law enforcement officers found guilty of rights violations face up to 12 years in jail under the landmark legislation.

The law also compensates any person with P500,000 in damages for each day of wrongful detention or assets seizure. – Jaime Laude, AP, AFP