Pentagon gang leader Alonto Tahir is alive contrary to the military's report that he was killed during a raid on his hideout in the Liguasan Marsh, a ranking gang leader claimed. Pentagon Maguindanao group commander Tacio Mamaluba, who surrendered to military authorities on Tuesday, said the ailing gang leader has been in hiding and has become suspicious of his men after the military raid on Aug. 13.
| "Yar! Yer gonna sell me out, y'bastards! I can hear yez plottin' an' plannin' out there!" |
He said Tahir's temper has triggered restiveness among gang members.
"Cheeze, he's touchy!"
"Yeah! Makes me feel all restive!" |
Col. Peter Ramon Sinajon, deputy commander of the Army's 604th Infantry Brigade based in the said province, said they would verify the information provided by Mamaluba. After the raid, military officials including Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Generoso Senga reported that Tahir, blamed for a series of kidnappings in Central Mindanao, had been slain. His body and that of his alleged followers who were killed during the raid have not been recovered though.
| Then I'd assume he hasn't been slain. |
After the attack, which was carried out by at least two MG-520 attack helicopters, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) confirmed that Tahir's house, which was built atop an islet between Barangay Lumibao in SK Pendatun town and Barangay Midpakan in Sultan sa Barongis town, had been hit. Both villages are part of the Maguindanao side of the marsh, one of the strongholds of the MILF. Eid Kabalu, MILF spokesperson, said then that their information indicated that Tahir was seriously wounded and that some gang members were indeed killed when bombs hit the islet.
"Ow! They got me!"
"Gosh, Boss! That's gotta smart!" |
A few weeks after the raid, which caused a rift between the military and the MILF, reports started to circulate that Tahir has survived the attack and that he was recuperating somewhere. Kabalu said they heard about the same information but could not verify it. The military maintained Tahir had been killed, citing intelligence reports and information provided by villagers. Senga said the reason Tahir's body was never recovered was that it was buried by his relatives and some followers in accordance with the Muslim burial tradition. Muslims bury their dead before sundown.
"Sun's goin' down, Mahmoud! Hurry and get him buried!"
"I ain't dead yet, dammit!"
"But, Boss! We gotta get you buried before sundown! It's in the Koran or somethin'!" |
Mamaluba, who surrendered to the Army's 66th Infantry Battalion in President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat on Tuesday morning, said he saw Tahir a few days ago. He said the Pentagon leader, who has been holding grocery-owner Zoila Kansi of Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat, is still in the Liguasan Marsh, but he did not specify which part of the vast wetlands. Mamaluba's brother Dima, who said he served as close-in bodyguard of Tahir's, agreed with the information. He said Tahir is suffering from diabetes but is still in command of the kidnap gang. |