ZAMBOANGA CITY — With an expired cooperation agreement between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) renewed, government troops and separatist fighters stepped up joint operations to rescue an Italian Roman Catholic kidnapped on June 10 in the southern Philippines.
At the same time, Muslim and Christian residents of Western Mindanao held joint prayer rallies yesterday to seek the early and safe release of the priest the people in his parish love so dearly.
“Set Fr. Bossi free now. He has not done any harm,” placards carried by some of the rallyists in downtown Zamboanga City said.
Muslim performers also showed a number depicting their disgust over the fate of Giancarlo Bossi, a 57-year-old missionary from Milan who was abducted by gunmen on June 10 as he was traveling in the coastal town of Payao in Zamboanga Sibugay province.
The rally, organized by the Peace Advocate Zamboanga, drew students and religious people from around city.
Some held bamboo torches and listened to songs and statements of peace read by rally leaders.
Officials said yesterday that MILF fighters have pinpointed the location of Bossi and his abductors last week along the forested boundary of nearby Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte provinces.
Rebel and government forces cordoned off the area and there were conflicting reports of contacts being made with the abductors, believed to be criminals.
However, a 2004 agreement between the government and rebels for a joint interdiction of criminals and terrorists lapsed on Thursday, leaving the rebels without any authority to take part in securing Bossi’s freedom.
Further complicating the efforts was the sudden resignation of the head of the government’s peace panel, Silvestre Afable, and the rebels’ rejection of his successor, a Roman Catholic priest.
Seeking to restore confidence in the process, President Arroyo on Thursday appointed a temporary replacement for Afable, Rudy Rodil, who immediately signed a document calling for a special joint operation against the kidnappers.
“Our operations to get Bossi will continue. We need to work for his release,” said Rodil, a history professor who also served as vice chairman of the government’s peace panel.
Chief rebel negotiator Mohagher Iqbal agreed, saying, “The life of a man is of paramount importance over procedural matters.”
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said his group’s members saw Bossi with his kidnappers in the Lanao region on Wednesday night. The guerrillas blocked possible escape routes and have tried to make contact with the abductors. Authorities initially suspected an MILF commander was involved in the kidnapping, which the rebels denied. Ransom kidnappings are common in the region, home to separatists, communist rebels, and criminal gangs.
The government and the MILF signed a cease-fire in 2003 amid peace talks facilitated by neighboring Malaysia. (With input from AP)
