Misuari condemns beheading of school principal in Sulu

Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chairman Nur Misuari condemned Tuesday the beheading of an elementary school principal in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, saying the perpetrators violated the Islamic way of living. "Of course this kind of action should be condemned by the Islamic citizens of the country. If only they can stop this kind of activity so that people can have peace of mind," Misuari told reporters in an interview at the Commission on Elections head office in Manila. Early Monday, the severed head of Kanague Elementary School Principal Gabriel Canizares was found at a gasoline station in Jolo. [See: Abductors behead school principal in Sulu] Canizares was abducted October 19 while riding a passenger jeepney. At the time of the incident, Canizares was with other teachers but he was the only one taken by the armed men suspected to be Abu Sayyaf members. A P2-million ransom was reportedly demanded in exchange for the victim's release. 'Big loss' Misuari said that being a teacher himself, he cannot accept this kind of act made against those who educate their children. "It’s a big loss. School teachers should not be touched by criminal elements," he said. The former Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor then asked the government to do everything in its power to catch those responsible for the crime.

"We don’t know who they are but it is kind of the same. We must do everything in our power to protect the citizens, especially school teachers," he said. On Monday, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered government forces to crush the Abu Sayyaf, which is said to be operating with members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), tagged as the arm of the al-Qaeda terror network in Southeast Asia. But early Tuesday, the Philippine National Police hinted that the beheading of Canizares could be linked to the arrest of a Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebel at the Zamboanga International Airport over the weekend. [See: PNP: Sulu beheading possibly linked to arrest of MILF rebel] PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina, former chief of the Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (Pacer), a unit that goes after kidnap groups, said he believes that kidnappers usually do not resort to such actions without a triggering or major reason. Misuari appeal Misuari, who still faces a rebellion case, appealed to the group responsible for the beheading to refrain from conducting a similar incident in the future. "Please don’t touch the lives of innocent people," he said. Misuari was at the Comelec office for the second straight day to follow-up on his request for the registration in Sulu be extended. Misuari plans to run again in Sulu's gubernatorial race next year. [See: Misuari mulls another crack at Sulu gubernatorial race] - GMANews.TV