In the Aquino government’s failure to get hold of Jordanian journalist, Baker Atyani, Dubai-based bureau chief of Al-Arabiya network, it again lays the blame on the journalist to the point of getting him barred from entering the country again.
The Interior and Local Government chief said the authorities were able to confirm that Atyani is somewhere in Patikul, together with his two Filipino crew members and that they were “safe and not threatened” by the Abu Sayyaf.
The reason given by Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo for calling on the Justice department and the Bureau of Immigration to ban Atyani from entering the country?
Atyani deceived the authorities about his real reason for being in Sulu, as he did not inform the authorities about his move to interview the Abu Sayyaf leader.
That’s a reason to ban a foreign journalist? Few, if any journalist, foreign or local, would inform government authorities that they are scheduled to meet with outlaws or terrorists. Incidentally, there is no crime committed when a journalist interviews even outlaws or terrorists.
It is doubted seriously if Atyani would even have asked the government authorities for permission to interview Osama bin Laden. It is not the job of the journalists to inform the authorities of their planned interviews, even with terrorists. Why should any journalist be barred from entering the country due to his not having informed the authorities of his interview plans?
And what would the authorities do? Question him on where the interview would be held and who he was interviewing for the security forces to capture the outlawed group?
If so, any journalist who does that would be acting like an agent of the government, not a journalist and he would be done for as a journalist.
But even before anything solid by way of leads on Atyani and his crew’s whereabouts, the Palace, Robredo, as well as police and military, have already been tarring him with all sorts of crime, such as that of Atyani being a conduit in providing funds for the Abu Sayyaf, since he has been here four times already.
Malacañang has already stated that Atyani, when he surfaces, will be interrogated and may face charges as well as jail time, as it  suspects he is in cahoots with the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).
Robredo claims that Atyani is neither missing nor is a captive of the ASG and that government will no longer launch a rescue operation to free him.
But on what do Robredo and the security elements base their claim that Aytani is not being held hostage?
Robredo earlier had claimed that Atyani and his two Filipino crew members have been in constant touch with their employers with all saying they are fine.
Yet Al-Arabiya has also come out to state that Atyani hasn’t been in touch with his employers for a week now. It is difficult to believe that Atyani — presuming that he hadn’t called his employers, would not even answer a call from them but would answer a call from authorities. So where does Robredo get that claim of Atyani being with the ASG and is not being held hostage?
Also, despite Robredo’s claim that the Filipino crewmen have been in touch with their relatives and have assured them that they are being treated well, a mother of one crew member had sent a letter seeking the release of her son.
But if the crewmen could phone their relatives and tell them they are okay and are being treated well, it stands to reason that the mobile phones are working in the area they are in. In which case, there should be no reason for Atyani, or his employers not to contact each other.
Also, given the claimed conversation between the Filipino crewmen and their relatives, that hardly is proof that they are doing well and not being maltreated.
Doesn’t it sound strange to Robredo and government authorities that the crew members tell their relatives that they are being treated well? If they were guests of the ASG, it stands to reason that they would not even speak of the kind of treatment they receive in the hands of the ASG. And why then should the mother of one seek his release, if he is a free agent?
Again, it is asked: On what basis does Robredo state that they are not being held captives?
The problem with the Aquino government is the fact that it refuses to admit failure and instead lay the blame on others, in this case Atyani, whom they now portray as a criminal, despite the absence of any clear proof.