It was a seige.
Pursuing Marines had cornered Abu Sayaff abductors of ICRC volunteers at the Western tip of Jolo island, just east of the town of Silangkan. With their backs to the sea, where the Philippine Navy lay in wait, a pair of mountains to the northeast and east, pursuing rescuers and a blocking force in Parang to the south had the bandits in a vise, above which Air Force gunships stood watch.
As the vise tightened, ASG supplies dwindled. Their numbers were sapped by attrition as well desertions. They were were becoming desperate. The seige's end was drawing near. Time was on the government's side.
But the leader of the Abu Sayaff group, Parad, had a secret weapon. His name: D-i-c-k Gordon
As Chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross and Rear Admiral of the Philippine Coast Guard Auxilliary, the Honorable Senator understandably felt pressure appear to do something about the situation. With 2010 around the corner, what better time to prove that his rank and position were not merely honorary, and attain the "combat command" experience, that he hitherto lacked, under his belt. Adding another honorary title couldn't hurt either.
So he did do something . . . he worked to let the Abu Sayaff get away.
Armed with intelligence briefings from GHQ officers who were not familiar with the terrain, and relying on his illusionary grasp of the tactical situation, he brokered a deal that would weaken the military vise that had put a stranglehold on the Abu Sayaff.
A "gentleman's agreement" he said. How people who abduct unarmed volunteers could EVER be called "gentlemen", is something that only a politician with presidential ambitions could understand.
Gordon's masterstroke is shown below
With the government forces repositioned south of Jolo township, the seige had been essentially abandoned. Imagine Manny Pacquiao suddenly dropping his guard, and then offering his jaw to an opponent that was already at the ropes.
Defeat had been snatched from the jaws of victory.
The new ease of access, combined with the lure of easy ransom money and an apparently gullible government -- personified by Gordon -- swelled the previously dwindling Abu Sayaff ranks. The Abu Sayaff's number had grown, and as feared, they had escaped the vise.
It was an outcome as predictable as the fate of the "gentleman's agreement". As of writing, the hostages continue to enhance their first-hand knowledge of the Stockholm syndrome.
What was at first a difficult situation, has become doubly so.
Marines paid a heavy price to set up the vise. In efforts to rescue three hostages, 6 marines had already lost their lives, and scores more wounded.
These deaths and sacrifices are now all for nothing.
Good job . . . D-I-C-K!!!!