Press Release
March 23, 2009

Transcript of Independent Senator Richard J. Gordon's interview over ANC

Q: Now that Gen. Sabban is out of the picture at least temporarily?

Gordon: I am not aware of that. That is an internal matter with the defense department. I'm not really interested... all I want is that whoever is there, we always maintain the safety, not only of the hostages but also of our government and other people who may be involved.

Q: Do you detect any changes in the military tactic?

Gordon: It is my hope that that will happen. I have to be critical because it is not safe because if I don't say it, nobody else is gonna say it. We have to act firmly and with care at all times. And that is why, if you know me, what you see is what you get. It is not out of arrogance or out of pique. It is simply holding the best interest of our people, our colleagues in the Red Cross, the soldiers and the high interest of our country at hand

Q: are you expecting the military to coordinate with you more closely?

Gordon: No, no, no, no, no. That was never the intention of this representation. I cannot give orders to the military. I belong to the legislature. I was offered by the government to be the chief personality to handle this many, many times, I have refused. The sergeant has offered that, Sec. Puno has offered that but I said no, I cannot be. I will just be there representing the Red Cross after all as a governor of the International Red Cross, and Chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross. That being said, I cannot give orders to the military. However, kaya lang nangyari yan dahil nung lumusob, on orders of Gen. Saban, dun sa bundok at sabi in-announce namatay si Parad, my first concern was 1. Are the hostages safe? 2. How many of our Marines were killed and how many on the other side were killed? Because one dead is one dead too many. And so, I'd like to speak out because that changes the whole equation. Because from then on, for the first time since they were taken on Jan. 15, they are, the lives of the hostages became to be endangered. But there is an immediate, clear, present danger that cannot be denied. And so I have to butt in and, thanks to Ces Drilon who told me that she was contacted by somebody called AlBader and his intention to harm, I have to act fast. And if I may say so, the PNRC had staved off the attempt to kill one of our hostages, if not all of them. We were able to get proof of life. We were once again able to talk to all three of them and third, our colleagues who are suffering were no longer under peril of attack from both Abu Sayyaf and from our military. You will recall that in that interview in one of the papers, they were all very, very emotional, they were all very, very deeply. Very, very afraid for their safety and their lives. And now at least they can rest for a while. Hopefully, it will not be repeated anymore.

Q: What about supposed plans to release one of the hostages in exchange for the military loosening its cordon?

Gordon: Well let me cite you what happened. We thought that the order not been given prematurely, that order, by way of a text message, which we got. But would be used to make sure we can get some. Because after that time, I start to get one hostage in exchange for withdrawal, they refused. After that text message by Geb. Saban, I turned it around, I said this is what happens, I said that we will push the military back and give us one hostage, they agree. Unfortunately, when we discussed this with Gen. Yano, whom I called with sec. Puno, we met right away with Sec. Teodoro, we expressed our concern about this. And I tell them the intention that we are able to get Albader to allow us to have the hostages if they are going to withdraw. Obviously, we have to plan the withdrawal. And to solve that. Gen Yano assigned a major general, a two-star general, in the person of a classmate, Sabban and we all met in my office in Makati and we are planning the withdrawal. We were saying we withdraw the troops the hostages will be brought closer to us.

Unfortunately, the order to withdraw has already been done unbeknownst to us. And all of a sudden you find a more aggressive Albader saying 'well, I know you've been able to withdraw but I want all people like the civilian volunteers to withdraw as well.' And then he started talking about grabbing two-thirds of Jolo by removing the military. I for the record have never advocated any withdrawal. In fact if the meetings are to be shown I've always told them put enough pressure so they will continue talking, do not withdraw preemptively. The only time we asked the withdrawal is because there was imminent danger to life. Delikado na, and that's what happened.

Q. In your description of the turn of events, it was maybe Gen. Juancho Sabban who seem to be acting on his own?

Gordon: He was very aggressive. There was no threat, but after that attack on Monday, there was now an immediate threat and we had to act. The Abu Sayyaf talked to me, they talked to Ces. And they gave a signal to Ces who told me that they were going to kill one of the hostages. And that's when I acted. We're talking about lives here. We have to be very, very judicious. Thank God we were able to stave off the execution and we were able to talk with the hostages, finally we have proof of life once again of all three. And we were able to prevent further attacks. That's when I started talking because anything that we do will be prejudiced by anybody who, I said in a Saturday meeting with Sec. Puno, "We have to stop anybody from being a John Wayne or a cowboy." And that's exactly what's happening now.

Q. Do you favor Nur Misuari being part of the negotiating team?

Gordon: I've always been supportive of the proposal of Sec. Puno. In fact I spoke with chairman Misuari, the ICRC has spoken with chairman Misuari, and if he will do it we'll give him all the support. I do not want to be a negotiator because I am deeply involved. I only got involved because they talked with me. But I said I cannot negotiate. I have always been very clear, we will not pay any ransom. And the only time it became very hairy was when they threatened execution because of that attack.

Q. Would you consider it a good thing that Gen. Sabban is temporarily out of the picture?

Gordon: I am not considering any good thing about our people's lives still in danger. Our soldiers are still on the field still in danger. We want to keep everybody safe, the families secure. I'm not happy about any movement of any troop because soldiers give their lives for our country. What happened here was it happened in the middle of the Provincial capitol in broad daylight, there were checkpoints and they were able to get these people. Obviously Gen. Sabban was smarting from that and that is understandable. But what I can no longer understand is that every time we went up, there will be rejections on the part of the lower group saying that we cannot send an emissary there, he will have to sign a waiver if he's going to go up and if he's killed we will not be blamed. And finally that attack, that attack was unforgivable. In fact I was already asking the military to explain what happened there.

Now, I know where Sen. Biazon is coming from. He's a former marine. I'm an admirer of the Marine Corps. I grew up in Olongapo where there was the US Marine Corps and the Philippine Marine Corps. You cannot tolerate something when you see what is wrong a marine will always call that's not the way it is. You cannot side simply with a marine just because he's a marine. The marine must be right, the marine has got to live properly, and if he doesn't do so then you must say so. And if Sen. Biazon only bothered to call me, he would have known the situation and I'm sure he would have made the right decision.

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