GOVERNMENT DOESN’T WANT TO THROW OFF ITS POLITICAL WILD CARDS ON THE IRC WORKERS; ABU SAYYAF KEEPING IT AT BAY: AN ANALYSIS

The chess-like game played by Abu Sayyaf Group of commander Albader Parad and the military chief Gen. Alexander Yano is a unique eat or not-to-eat decision fiasco or a gambit where stalwart political figures are not worried about actually; they wanted to prolong the game with lots of excuses, while the internal political spectrum is yet to reveal the real motive why this crisis had become a boiling mess for the government panel assigned to negotiate the release of the three IRC workers who were kidnapped.

I believe that this was a protracted tactic on the part of the Abu Sayyaf to catch the eyes of an international audience, making these “international audience” aware of their effective tactical moves and sought attention from those bigwigs who were the benefactors of Abu Sayyaf group to make amends and renew their clandestine support to the group. Observing the situation as it goes in the arena of media, the miles that Abu Sayyaf have run off against the military since their tactical kidnap operation started, brought the group into the spotlight, leaving behind miles away the military tactical maneuvers that put them at bay at any rate.

As we can see on TV the full-coverage of the on-going release negotiation being handled by both local and national political figures, it becomes so apparent that the game plan of Abu Sayyaf has been very effective. It certainly lured the news-hungry media into their favour and indeed, they won the first phase of a protracted tactical war.

Now, Abu Sayyaf is on the second and third and final phase of their tactical operations.

While the AFP as well as the government negotiating panel have been very busy in trying to make amends and do some makeovers on the lapses they suffered, it is apparent that Parad stands like a horse on a chess game and has been an effective bishop pushing up the pawns of the government to withdraw off its own tract; besides he is also a lone pawn about to reach the homebase to turn him into a powerful queen. And indeed, it happened, he is now an effective pawn to make a lengthy-self-regulating demands with the threat of killing the hostages while the government on the other hand is fearing to lose its face to get the blame from the international community if something will happen to the hostages; and that, the government could hardly allow.

The government especially the military, the media, the politicians and the international audience were all lured in to a makeover battle for nothing. I believe that the military analysis on the situation is still more effective and if only, a closer coordination will be effected more immediately, surely this crisis will turn the whole Mindanao a battleground of filthy moves.

In the end, Abu Sayyaf game plan will be hailed.

At this point, we need to allow the military experts to undertake their own expertise and keep them on their way of making the most effective tactical move to win this game.

Win or loss, the people have already suffered a lot, so what's more in it! Abu Sayyaf resurfaced as a hero in their own right.

We were deceived eventually.