Abu Sayyaf burns public school in Sulu - military

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits have burned a public elementary school in the southern Philippine island province of Sulu, a military official said Monday. Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo said the incident took place around 1:55 p.m. Saturday in Barangay Pasil in Indanan town. Arevalo described the burning of the six-classroom school building as a diversionary move to distract government troops from their operations to rescue Eugenio Vagni, the Italian Red Cross volunteer currently in the hands of the bandit group. Marine forces backed by policemen and members of the Civilian Emergency Forces (CEF) have been deployed around the bandits’ lair in Indanan where they are still holding Vagni. Vagni, 61, a water systems specialist, remain in captivity after one of his companions, Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba, was freed last April 2 while the other, Swiss Andreas Notter, escaped last April 18. They were seized after they inspected a water system project at the Sulu provincial jail last January 15 in Patikul town. “The act of bandits manifests that they will stop at nothing even to the extent of destruction of scarce resources like school buildings just to divert military attention from a relentless pursuit operations," Arevalo said. Arevalo noted that last Saturday’s incident was the second this year since the Abu Sayyaf have already burned last February a school building in Barangay Tuop, Talipao. He described last Saturday’s incident as an attack against peace-loving and development-yearning residents of Indanan town and the province of Sulu as a whole “who were deprived of not only shelter for the evacuees in these difficult times that the bandits themselves caused." “The burning of school building, desks, and school paraphernalia effectively gutted the future of some 300 Tausug children's future," he said. Arevalo said they continue to intensify intelligence gathering to locate Vagni and his captors. - GMANews.TV