On Basilan island, there was a jailbreak that saw 53 prisoners escape. Among them were several terrorism suspects. Abu Sayyaf was thought to have organized the breakout. In the last year, Abu Sayyaf  has reformed itself and turned away from kidnapping and crime and towards their original idea of Islamic radicalism and terrorism.  Members of the Islamic terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah has found they can operate in the southern Philippines because of corrupt, or intimidated, Filipino officials.