kidnapped, Ces Oreña-Drilon – Page 4

Photo by Reza. Leaders in the Tent of a Prominent Sheikh Share Stories. Used here for educational, non-commercial purposes, thru the free service by blog-use of image provided by and from www.allposters.com .

UPDATE as of 3:30pm : Datu Jamal (who wrote the post below) was right about Sulu still being MNLF country and what role they could play. According to www.abs-cbnnews.com , the captors designated Sulu Mayor Isnaji Alvarez as their negotiator.

I googled the name to provide some background to this story. According to a Civil Service Commission Resolution, when Nur Misuari was detained, he was lawfully appointed Acting ARMM governor. According to the MILF website www.luwaran.com , he used to call himself chairman of a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

Mayor Isnaji Alvarez is “the top MNLF man now”, according to my sources. According to www.gmanews.tv , he is a senior leader of the MNLF.

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“Sulu is still MNLF country.”

From Datu Jamal at http://jamalashley.blogsome.com

Quote “Hi Marichu,

Quote “As I wrote in my blog:

Quote “Whether one likes it or not, Sulu is still MNLF country. It is not Abu Sayyaf country. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the military is the best group to help Ces and her crew because of the well-known connection between the ASG and the military.

Quote “However, if the military refuses to help, the best group to turn to is the MNLF. The MNLF is reportedly willing to help. But, because of the ASG-military links, it is hesitant to do so UNLESS they get the MANDATE from MALACANANG.

Quote “If the MNLF will rescue Ces on its own, the military could say that it was an MNLF scheme all along. But if Malacanang gives MNLF the go signal, then the military cannot do anything but abide by Malacanang’s decision.” Closed-quote.

From Getting Back Home, 2008/06/11 at 11:21 PM

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Hi Jamal! Thank you for writing. I hope, too, that all necessary communication lines remain open until everybody is back safe. Thanks again for this post!- marichu

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Jamal, i should pay you consultancy fees, your reading of the terrain was correct, useful. See my update. Thanks. – marichu

Ces Oreña-Drilon, Photo by TOWNS (The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service)

Dear Ces,

I hope you have access now and then to your mobile; or to a radio or tv signal. I hope you can see how strong as steel your colleagues in the news department have been, how they followed procedure; to the letter, because your safety and that of Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama were at stake; how resolute they are now, how everybody wanted to drop everything and go to Jolo town, but they remained tough and did their best job ever, because lives were at stake; because they wanted to equal the high standards of competence and commitment that you have set, and that this is how best they can ensure your safety. When you walk through that door again, you will see the tapes, you’d be proud of them. As you would be, of even competing media organizations.

There’s this usual “personality-test-question” that uses the phrase “to hell and back”, and many people misunderstand the question “if you need to go to hell and back, whom do you want to bring with you?” and give the name of a “bad person” as an answer, they think the question means, if you’re going to go down whom do you want to take down as well. But it says, “…and back”. That question, as i’ve seen it interpreted elsewhere, means: if you have to go on a difficult mission or a perilous trip, whom do you want to bring with you? Because you have every intent of coming back. So you choose someone who has qualities that will help you surmount the brimstone and find your way home, you choose someone whom you personally know as intelligent, street-smart, alert, perceptive, with clear sight and a keen sense of hearing, someone selfless with a brave heart and a sharp mind, has a good sense of direction, can find their way even without a map, and someone who will not let go until you get back.