ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 16 Jun) Suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen freed a kidnapped 41-year old pharmacy owner in the troubled island of Jolo in the southern Philippines after more than two months in captivity, security officials announced Friday.
Officials said the kidnappers released Bren Vergara -- who was snatched April 12 together with his ailing 70-year old mother Caridad -- on a remote village near Jolo town before sunrise Wednesday. The militants, whose group is tied to al-Qaeda terror network, freed the matriarch two weeks after the kidnap.
Sources in Jolo told the Zamboanga Journal that both hostages were tortured by their guards during their captivity. Bren was beaten up so badly to the point that he nearly died. His body bore torture marks.
The military said the woman was blindfolded by her armed guards and transported by a motorcycle to the village of Danag in Patikul town where she was found by civilians. She was later brought to the house of Al-Kharmer Izquierdo, the mayor of Jolo town, who handed her over to her relatives.
Officials could not say if ransom was paid, but the kidnappers originally demanded two million pesos in exchange for the safe release of the hostages. Gunmen snatched the duo outside their pharmacy in downtown Jolo. No groups claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, but suspicion fell heavily on the Abu Sayyaf group, blamed for the series of kidnappings and terrorism in the impoverished southern region torn by strife.
The Vergara's family did not give any statement and would not say if ransom was paid. But other reports suggested that money had changed hands and that more than one million pesos had been delivered to the kidnappers by private negotiators as payments for "board and loding."
The Abu Sayyaf had carried high-profile kidnappings in the past, including a daring raid on the Malaysian resort island of Sipadan in 2000 where it seized 21 Asian and European holiday-makers, and a similar attack on the posh Dos Palmas resort in the central Philippine island of Palawan a year later where militants seized 17 Filipinos and three U.S. citizens, two of whom were later beheaded and killed.
Washington offered as much as $5 million bounty for known Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Khadaffy Janjalani. President Gloria Arroyo also put up P100 million rewards for the capture of the group's leaders and their members dead or alive.
Officials said the kidnappers released Bren Vergara -- who was snatched April 12 together with his ailing 70-year old mother Caridad -- on a remote village near Jolo town before sunrise Wednesday. The militants, whose group is tied to al-Qaeda terror network, freed the matriarch two weeks after the kidnap.
Sources in Jolo told the Zamboanga Journal that both hostages were tortured by their guards during their captivity. Bren was beaten up so badly to the point that he nearly died. His body bore torture marks.
The military said the woman was blindfolded by her armed guards and transported by a motorcycle to the village of Danag in Patikul town where she was found by civilians. She was later brought to the house of Al-Kharmer Izquierdo, the mayor of Jolo town, who handed her over to her relatives.
Officials could not say if ransom was paid, but the kidnappers originally demanded two million pesos in exchange for the safe release of the hostages. Gunmen snatched the duo outside their pharmacy in downtown Jolo. No groups claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, but suspicion fell heavily on the Abu Sayyaf group, blamed for the series of kidnappings and terrorism in the impoverished southern region torn by strife.
The Vergara's family did not give any statement and would not say if ransom was paid. But other reports suggested that money had changed hands and that more than one million pesos had been delivered to the kidnappers by private negotiators as payments for "board and loding."
The Abu Sayyaf had carried high-profile kidnappings in the past, including a daring raid on the Malaysian resort island of Sipadan in 2000 where it seized 21 Asian and European holiday-makers, and a similar attack on the posh Dos Palmas resort in the central Philippine island of Palawan a year later where militants seized 17 Filipinos and three U.S. citizens, two of whom were later beheaded and killed.
Washington offered as much as $5 million bounty for known Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Khadaffy Janjalani. President Gloria Arroyo also put up P100 million rewards for the capture of the group's leaders and their members dead or alive.
2 comments:
This is what I'm praying and hoping for. Thank you for the safe release. Peace to all.
Dear Muhammad,
Thank you for your comment. We also pray for an end to violence in the South.
Mabuhay!
Ed.Zamboanga Journal
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