Sulu Mayor Isnaji Alvarez gestures as he briefs June 13, 2008 journalists in Sulu province in southern Philippines on the situation of three remaining Abu Sayyaf hostages. Militants tied to al-Qaeda terror network freed one cameraman of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation late Sunday on a remote jungle village. The Abu Sayyaf is reportedly demanding as much as P50 million ransom for the release of multi-awarded reporter Ces Drilon and her cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion, who were kidnapped June 8 together with a university professor Octavio Dinampo while on their way to a clandestine interview of a senior Abu Sayyaf leader Radulan Sahiron, who has sent surrender feelers. Police authorities said the surrender was a hoax to lure reporters to Sulu. And Below, Alvarez briefs Sulu Gov. Salur Tan, who heads the local Crisis Management Committee and his deputy Nur Ana Sahidulla. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 13, 2008) – Abu Sayyaf militants holding a Philippine television news crew and a university professor in the southern island of Sulu have cut off communication to government negotiators, leaving the fate of the hostages at the mercy of their captors.
“We have been trying to get in touch with the kidnappers, but all their cell phones are cut off,” said Indanan town Mayor Isnaji Alvarez, who is negotiating with the Abu Sayyaf group tied to al-Qaeda terror network.
Militants have freed late Thursday television cameraman Angelo Valderama in the village of Sinumaan in Talipao town. But the gunmen are still holding multi-awarded ABS-CBN reporter Ces Drilon and another cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion, including their guide, Professor Octavio Dinampo, of the Mindanao State University.
The Philippine military took custody of the freed captive and hid him from dozens of reporters now encamped in Jolo town.
Alvarez, a former Moro National Liberation Front leader, admitted they paid a few hundred thousand pesos to the kidnappers for the freedom of Valderama. “We are convincing the kidnappers to release Ces Drilon ahead of the others, but they refused for a still unknown reason,” he said.
The money paid to the kidnappers came from Isnaji and Sulu deputy governor Nur Ana Sahidulla. “We paid some sort of a ‘board and lodging’ fees to the kidnappers to secure the release of one hostage,” Alvarez said.
He said the kidnappers were also negotiating directly with Drilon’s family, but he did not give details of the progress of the talks.
The kidnappers reportedly demanded ransom between P10 million to P50 million. And that P5 million was allegedly paid to the gang for Valderama’s release, other sources said.
Media reports also said that P2 million was paid to the Abu Sayyaf, but Alvarez denied this and at the same time criticized Undersecretary Amilasan Amilbajar, of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Mindanao, who was allegedly the source of the news.
“Amilasan should stop talking to the press because he does not know what is going on here. He will just get reports from different sources and then passed them off as his reports. He is not even part of the negotiating team. This is political propaganda,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez said he spoke to Drilon on her cell phone before Valderama was freed. “She was sobbing and asking us to help them. She said the kidnappers tied the hands of the other hostages,” he said.
Drilon did not say whether they are being fed properly or tortured or abused by their captors. Valderama was sneaked out of Sulu by the military and brought to Zamboanga City after the kidnappers freed him to the emissaries of Alvarez.
Alvarez and Sahidulla briefed Friday Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan, head of the local Crisis Management Committee, on the progress of the negotiations.
The kidnappers have selected Alvarez to negotiate for the release of the hostages. Alvarez is also one of seven candidates running for the regional governor in the Muslim autonomous region elections in August.
The kidnappers originally demanded P10 million, but a radio network dzRH in Manila on Thursday said the militants asked P50 million from the victims' families negotiating directly with the Abu Sayyaf.
It said the hostages should have been freed on Wednesday after unnamed negotiators agreed to pay the ransom money, but the Abu Sayyaf did not release Drilon's group after the ABS-CBN issued a statement saying it will not pay ransom to the terrorist group tied to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya.
The radio network, which quoted unnamed sources privy to the negotiations, also reported that the kidnappers have already lowered their demands to P25 million. The reports could not be independently confirmed and police in Sulu said Dinampo had been separated from the group of Drilon.
Police said the hostages are being held by Abu Sayyaf leaders Albader Parad, Gafur Jumdail and Umbra Jumdail, also known as Dr. Abu, in Sulu's hinterlands.
Parad and Jumdail are notorious Abu Sayyaf leaders wanted by Washington and Manila for terrorism and kidnappings-for-ransom. The two are also believed coddling Jemaah Islamiya bomber Dulmatin and Umar Patek, tagged as behind the 2002 deadly bombings in Bali which killed more than 200 mostly tourists; and in several attacks in Jakarta.
The Abu Sayyaf group was also tagged as behind the kidnapping early this year of Maria Rosalie Lao, 58, a rice trader in Jolo town. It was also behind the kidnappings in 2001 of 21 people, mostly Asian and European tourists from the Malaysian island-resort of Sipadan.
Last year, the group kidnapped seven people in Sulu and beheaded them after their families failed to pay up ransom.
The US has offered up to $5 million bounty and Manila as much as P10 million rewards for known Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Jumdail, for their capture – dead or alive. Tan warned journalists to stay away near Abu Sayyaf lairs.
“We do not want problems anymore. Journalists should not even glorify or interview the Abu Sayyaf. They are terrorists. We have many beautiful places and pristine beaches in Sulu.”
“Our Sulu is rich in culture and heritage, that is what journalists coming to Sulu should write or report about and not the Abu Sayyaf,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)
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