Board and Lodging

The big news this past week was the kidnapping of Channel 2 reporter Ces Drilon and her two cameramen in Sulu. Obviously, the fact that journalists, foreign and local, had been the favorite kidnap targets of Abu bandits did not deter her from doing a story in such a dangerous place where separatist rebels, Muslim extremists, homegrown bandits, local officials and police are kith and kin. Remember Arlene de la Cruz who also got kidnapped many years ago? Drilon knew fully well the risks of doing stories in these areas as well as the obvious fact that the government doesn't have the resources to stand up to the kidnappers. In her personal drive to carve a name for herself, she ends up being the headline banner story instead.

ABS-CBN says it is sticking to its "no-ransom" policy. Curiously, one of the cameramen was released reportedly after payment of a US$45,000 fee to the rebels for "board and lodging." Is this true? I mean

• Ces and company didn't exactly camp out in Abu Sayyaf territory voluntarily, they were held against their will;
  
• Lodging probably meant underground bunkers or cave dwellings, while being served with saba bananas and ripe jackfruit;
• Even Oprah wouldn't pay close to US$10,000 per day for fun and adventure in the jungle of Sulu, especially without mosquiteros and arinolas (chamber pots).

Management may wish to call it by any other name, but it is still ransom. It allows them to actually pay ransom while declaring to all and sundry that it is not ransom.

Acceding to the bandits' request is self-defeating: giving them huge amounts of money means they can recruit more young people into their fold and buy more weapons to advance their terrorism and banditry agenda. Paying board and lodging, er, ransom may provide a momentary relief by giving freedom to the kidnap victims, but will ensure that future kidnapping and terrorist activities will continue to take place in that forsaken part of the world.

UPDATE: Board & lodging paid for the release of the assistant cameraman was PhP100,000, an initiative of the local government in Sulu and not the station's. The group has been released close to midnight last night.