MANILA, Dec. 14, 2009— A day after the massive jailbreak in Isabela City, Basilan, a Catholic bishop makes no effort to conceal his impatience over authorities’ ability to stop crimes there.

Isabela Bishop Martin Jumoad bemoaned the increasing number of crimes, delivering strong words over a radio interview Monday, a day after his meeting with Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales.

Jumoad said organized crime in Basilan thrive due to a combination of police incompetence and a failure of leadership by local public leaders.

“There is no peace at all (here). There is kidnapping, there is beheading, there is also jailbreak. I told Secretary Gonzales we have already enough of this in Basilan,” he said over Church-run Radyo Veritas.

The bishop accused the local authorities of being “reactionary” to the several untoward incidents in the troubled region.

According to him, his recent meeting to Gonzales focused on the peace and order situation in Basilan.

Jumoad added that the local police lack the logistics and provisions to go after criminals operating in the province.

Gonzales, he said, met with him at his residence in Isabela City to solicit ideas on what can be done in the province, especially in the wake of series of kidnappings, and the massive jailbreak which left three people dead and saw 31 inmates escape on Sunday.

“I also told him the futility of local governments in the province where there is no real public service, we have bad roads, many residents are suffering,” Jumoad said.

Earlier, the prelate said he favored the declaration of martial rule in the province following the beheading of a plywood worker and abduction of a school official.

The government, meanwhile, will deploy additional troops to the additional conflict-wracked southern region of Mindanao to augment forces going working to recapture the escapees.

The military also offered P2-billion reward money for the recapture of escapee Dan Ansawi, a Moro Islamic Liberation Front sub-commander who was accused of being involved in ambush of marine soldiers in Basilan in July 2007.

Four other MILF members escaped during the jailbreak, authorities said.

On Dec. 8, the head of factory worker Marquez Singson was recovered near a plaza after the authorities refused to give the P6-million ransom demand of his kidnappers, the Abu Sayyaf group.

Singson, a Filipino, was with Chinese nationals Michael Tan and Oscar Lu that when they were snatched by the terrorist group last Nov. 10 in Maluso town, Basilan.

Tan and Lu were known to be alive as of last Wednesday because they had been allowed to call their employer then.

On Dec. 10, meantime, Basilan State College vice-president Orland Fajardo was also abducted by suspected Abu Sayyaf members, also in Isabela City.

Basilan is stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, which has ties with al-Qaeda and the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group. (Roy Lagarde)