By Francis Wakefield
Barely a month after his two sons surrendered, a member of the Abu Sayyaf Group also yielded to the military in Sulu on Tuesday, (January 8).
Abdulbaki Boyohan, 53, surrendered to Lieutenant Colonel Ronaldo Mateo, the commanding officer of the 32nd Infantry (Daredevil) Battalion, in Camp Bud Datu, Indanan, Sulu at 9 a.m..
A follower of Idang Susukan, Boyohan is the father of former Abu Sayyaf members Ban Baki Rajili and Padi Kali, who both surrendered to the 32nd IB troops on December 22, 2018.
"We hope to see more returnees reunite with their families and start their new lives away from battlegrounds. Indeed, this is a resonating call for the rest of the Abu Sayyaf bandits to lay down their arms and to consider the lives that were affected,” said Armed Forces of the Philippines-Western Mindanao Command (AFP-WestMinCom) Chief Lieutenant General Arnel Dela Vega.
Boyohan alias Baki also yielded an M79 Grenade Launcher and ammunition.
The 32nd IB troops presented Boyohan to Colonel Rodrigo Gregorio, the 501st Brigade deputy commander, in Camp Bud Datu, Barangay Tagbak, Indanan on the same day.
“May the story of Boyohan and his sons encourage other Abu Sayyaf members to end decades of terror in the province of Sulu,” Dela Vega said.