BY REY PANALIGAN
Department of Justice (DoJ) Undersecretary Mark Perete said on Sunday the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has started checking the travel history of two Indonesians who reportedly took part in the bombings in Jolo, Sulu last August 24.
Being verified are the travel records in the Philippines of Andi Baso, male, between 17 and 25 years old; and Reski Fantasya, alias “Cici,” female, between 17 and 22 years old, and who is said to be wife of Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) leader Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan.
The two Indonesian nationals are suspected to be partly responsible for the two Jolo explosions that resulted in the death of 14 persons and injuries to 78 others.
There were reports that the two Indonesians, together with Mundi Sawajaan, a nephew of alleged terrorist Hatib Hajan Sawajaan, may have already slipped into the Zamboanga peninsula and might launch terrorist attacks.
Undersecretary Perete said that the checking of travel documents is part of the BI’s standard operating procedure (SOP) to determine the frequency of travels to the Philippines.
“This is an SOP, the checking of records with the Bureau of Immigration. They would want to know how often they have been traveling to the country or have they been overstaying. So all of these would be relevant in the investigation,” Perete said.
“I think the primary goal in the investigation is to determine their criminal liability” and that would be handled by the law enforcement agencies, he said.
“If those actions would amount to a crime then they would have to be prosecuted. This involves national security,” he stressed.
At the same time, Perete said he was sure the BI has been coordinating with the Indonesian Embassy in Manila to gather more information about the two Indonesian nationals, particularly on records in their country.
“I would think there is coordination between our national security agencies and their Indonesian counterpart, including the Indonesian Embassy,” he said. (Rey Panaligan)
