Spare the civilians.

This was the appeal of Jolo Bishop Angelito Lampon to the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) out of fear the bandit group might retaliate following the death of six of its members.

“We want to appeal to the humanitarian spirit of the group members to please leave the civilians out of this because they are innocent…I hope they’ll spare them from this,” he said in a phone interview.

Lampon is confident that the military will do its best to protect the civilians from any possible attack from the group.

“We expect them to do so since that is also their duty,” said the bishop.

Bishop Lampon said he’ll continue to pray for the welfare of his flock and the ASG so that peace will finally reign in the area.

“As bishop of Sulu, I want to say to them that we will be including them in our prayers so we can all be at peace,” he said.

Last Sunday, ASG leader Albader Parad and five other members of the bandit group were killed in a clash with government soldiers in Maimbung, Sulu.

Meanwhile, Malacañang praised the military Tuesday for the latest gain in the campaign against terrorism following the fall of an Abu Sayyaf leader and five members of the notorious bandit group.

Deputy Presidential Spokesman Gary Olivar said the Palaces hopes the military would make more achievements in the government’s crackdown against lawless elements in the country.