ZAMBOANGA CITY–Newly-promoted Lt. Gen. Arnel Dela Vega, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief, on Wednesday vowed to sustain the military’s operations to rescue the remaining hostages of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).
Dela Vega made the pledge in an interview in Camp Basilio Navarro shortly after he was installed as the 10th commander of Westmincom. He replaced Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., who was installed as the Armed Forces chief-of-staff on April 18.
Dela Vega, without elaborating further, said the military has adopted “measures” against the ASG based in the province of Sulu.
“We will sustain our efforts in rescuing the remaining KVs (kidnap victims) and very handful na lang man yan,” Dela Vega said.
ASG members are still holding captive nine people, including five foreigners–three Indonesians, one Vietnamese, and one Dutch–and four Filipinos.
“We will prevent further attempts (by the ASG) to kidnap more new victims,” the military official added.
National Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana said he is confident that the newly-installed Westmincom chief “will do his best of recover them (the hostages).”
“It has been my dream to recover them all, so that they can return to their respective families,” Lorenzana said.
Lorenzana presided Wednesday’s turnover of command. (Teofilo Garcia, Jr/PNA)
