Freed Abu Sayyaf hostage Ces Drilon, of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, waves to reporters in Zamboanga City on Wednesday June 18, 2008. Drilon and her cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion and their guide university professor Octavio Dinampo were freed in the hinterlands of Sulu after 9 days in captivity. The militants tied to al-Qaeda last week freed Drilon�s cameraman Angelo Encarnacion after negotiators paid several hundreds of thousands of pesos as "board and lodging" fee. (Mindanao Examiner Photo) ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 18, 2008) – Philippine security forces were preparing for a fresh offensive against the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group after militants freed a kidnapped television presenter and her cameraman in the southern island of Sulu, officials said on Wednesday.
Gunmen freed before midnight Tuesday Ces Drilon and her cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion, of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., including a university professor Octavio Dinampo after more than a week in captivity in Sulu’s jungle.
“We will launch an offensive in a few days, although the operations against the Abu Sayyaf still continue in Sulu,” Army Major Eugene Batara, a spokesman for the Western Mindanao Command, told the Mindanao Examiner.
Police in Sulu also said it is awaiting orders to mount fresh operation against the kidnappers. “We have 150 warm bodies here and I can produce up to 400 policemen to run after the kidnappers. We are awaiting orders,” Sulu police chief Julasirim Kasim.
The Abu Sayyaf last week freed Drilon's cameraman Angelo Valderama after negotiators reportedly paid P5 million ransom. Sources in Sulu said at least P18 million were allegedly paid to the Abu Sayyaf.
Police said no ransom was paid for the release of all the hostages, but the militants originally demanded P20 million and had threatened to behead their captives if money is not paid. Senator Loren Legarda and Sulu town Mayor Alvarez Isnaji were largely credited for the safe release of the four hostages kidnapped on June 8 in Maimbung town while on their way to meet with an Abu Sayyaf terror leader Radulan Sahiron, who has sent surrender feelers to the government.
Police have tagged Albader Parad, Gafur Jumdail, Umbra Jumdail, Tuan Walis and Sulayman Patta as among about 30 gunmen involved in the kidnappings.
Isnaji, who was selected by the Abu Sayyaf to negotiate for the release of the hostages, admitted that he paid P100, 000 for the freedom of Drilon’s group on top of a package of livelihood aids and infrastructure projects promised by Legarda.
“Senator Loren Legarda herself promised livelihood aids and infrastructure projects for these people. We did not pay ransom except for one hundred thousand pesos as payment for (board and lodging) expenses. Our commitment to the kidnappers is livelihood and infrastructure projects, such as farm-to-market roads,” Isnaji said.
Isnaji also paid several hundreds of thousands of pesos to the kidnappers to buy the freedom of Valderama.
Isnaji the family of Drilon is negotiating directly with the Abu Sayyaf and even promised to pay ransom to the kidnappers. Drilon's family denied the accusations. Isnaji previously threatened to resign as negotiator if the victims' families continue to talk directly with the Abu Sayyaf for the safe release of the hostages.
Other reports in Sulu said as much as P10 million was allegedly paid to the Abu Sayyaf for the release of Drilon, Encarnacion and Dinampo. The ABS-CBN repeatedly said that it will not pay ransom to the Abu Sayyaf for the release of the hostages.
Sources earlier said unidentified negotiators from Manila have made contacts with the Abu Sayyaf to discuss ransom payment. And sources said that once ransom is paid, the kidnappers would make it appear that they freed the hostages in exchange for government livelihood projects.
The reports cannot be independently confirmed.
Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan, the head of the local crisis management committee, has repeatedly discouraged negotiators from paying ransom to the Abu Sayyaf because he said the money would likely be used to buy weapons and finance terrorism and more kidnappings in the island, one of six provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.
The United States listed the Abu Sayyaf as a foreign terrorist organization and has offered rewards of up to $5 million for the capture of its known leaders.
The Abu Sayyaf released Drilon to government emissaries on a remote village near Talipao town. Drilon, looking pale and haggard, wept as she thanked those who negotiated for their release.
“I want to thank everybody. Words are not enough to thank those who prayed for the professor, Jimmy, Angel, and my self,” Drilon, clad in a sweat shirt and a pair of jogging pants, told reporters in Sulu.
Drilon and her group arrived by military helicopter in Zamboanga City at dawn Wednesday where doctors examined their conditions and authorities interviewed them about the identities of their kidnappers.
Drilon, accompanied by ABS-CBN executive Maria Ressa, later held a press conference with Legarda at a beach resort near a military base in Zamboanga City.
She said they were kidnapped by gunmen because their guide, Dinampo, was betrayed by his contacts. “I cannot give details of what really happened but we are cooperating with the authorities. We suspect that our guide was betrayed that’s why we were kidnapped,” she said.
Dinampo was taken by authorities and is being interviewed by police investigators and so were Isnaji and his son, Haider, who helped in the negotiation. Drilon said Isnaji helped a lot in the negotiation with the kidnappers.
Drilon detailed how they were treated by their captors and in several occasions threatened with harm. She said she was slapped several times by her guard and at one point thought they would die in captivity.
But the news conference was cut short after police commandos stopped dozens of journalists from asking Drilon questions about her ordeal until Avelino Razon, the chief of the Philippine National Police, arrives to join them.
When reporters continued their questions, policemen pushed them away and sparking a commotion that eventually disrupted the press conference. Razon later arrived and continued the news conference but only with Legarda. Some disgruntled journalists walked out to protest the arrogance of police guards.
Policemen also prevented reporters from going to a nearby restaurant inside the resort and herded them on one corner.
Drilon’s group was flown to Manila on a private jet and there they held a news conference where they gave details of their harrowing ordeal from the hands of their captors, one of them a 12-year old boy armed with a rifle.
“I always go after the story, sometimes not thinking about my loved ones, my mom, my kids and this time, I guess I have to think also that many people love me. I am so irresponsible to do this to my children, to my mother, my sisters and my brothers,” she said.
Drilon said she disregarded warnings by ABS-CBN not to venture in areas where the Abu Sayyaf operates. “I put the life of my team in danger,” she said.
Despite her ordeal, Drilon sympathized with her captors, saying, many of them live in misery, but she was quick to condemn the kidnappers. “What they (Isnaji) promised (to the kidnappers) is livelihood projects to aid (these people).
“I don’t want to justify what they are doing because they are bandits. We are cooperating with the authorities, but we need to understand what they do these things, there were bandits who are 12-years old and holding a gun already; and 17-years old and 15-years old and you realized why these children are armed with these weapons instead of notebook and pencils. They should be in school,” Drilon said.
Encarnacion said they were hit with rifles by the kidnappers, who also threatened to execute them. “They have repeatedly threatened to behead me. I was really scared,” he said.
Legarda said the ABS-CBN contacted and sought her help to secure the freedom of Drilon’s group. Legarda, a former ABS-CBN reporter, was also behind the release of a kidnapped journalist Arlene dela Cruz in 2002 in Sulu province.She said Drilon, during captivity, would call her on the phone to say that the kidnappers were hurting them.
“At one point, she (Drilon) asked me, ‘Tell me Loren, are you gonna come or not, tell me if you are not coming so I can meet my fate and accept my fate,’ as if she is giving me an ultimatum and she was crying and telling me that they (kidnappers) are slapping her face.”
“So I really have to work double time and extra hard and I really made sure (with ABS-CBN) that they not make public my identity or role in the negotiations,” Legarda said. (Mindanao Examiner)
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