Sayyafs free 3 hostages in southern Philippines

Abu Sayyaf militants have freed Tuesday, May 26, 2009 three teachers kidnapped in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines after four months in captivity. The trio - Quizon Freires, 28; Janette Delos Reyes, 29; and Rafael Mayonado, 24 – were kidnapped at sea on January 23 while returning by boat from a break on Sacol Island in Zamboanga City. They were brought to Basilan province where the kidnappers originally demanded P6 million ransoms and eventually lowered this to P2.5 million for their safe release. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Jung Francisco)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 26, 2009) – Abu Sayyaf militants have freed Tuesday three teachers kidnapped in Zamboanga City after four months in captivity.

The trio - Quizon Freires, 28; Janette Delos Reyes, 29; and Rafael Mayonado, 24 – were kidnapped at sea on January 23 while returning by boat from a break on Sacol Island in Zamboanga City.

They were brought to Basilan province where the kidnappers originally demanded P6 million ransoms for their safe release.

Radio station dxRZ in Zamboanga City reported that the hostages were released to a private negotiator in the town of Mohamad Ajul.

Military and police officials did not give any statement about the release of the hostages and telephone calls from journalists were either ignored or went unanswered.

Other reports said an unspecified amount of ransom was allegedly paid to the Abu Sayyaf headed by Commander Aguila, who lowered their demand to P2.5 million.

The families of the hostages have previously approached the Moro Islamic Liberation Front after accusing the government of failing to help them secure the freedom of the trio.

The release of the hostages came a week after Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded a kidnapped farm owner Doroteo Gonzalez in Basilan’s Akbar town. His body was not recovered.

Gonzales, 61, was snatched from his house April 25 in the village of Buenavista in Zamboanga City and brought to Basilan by his captors. Gonzales was killed after his family failed to pay P25 million ransom.

Late last year, Abu Sayyaf gunmen also kidnapped a hospital nurse and a nursing student in Zamboanga City and brought them to Basilan and were ransomed off by their families several weeks later.

Police said the Abu Sayyaf is also holding a lending firm collector, Leah Patris, seized near Basilan’s Maluso town and a Sri Lankan national, Umar Jaleel, a member of the international peace advocate group called Nonviolent Peaceforce, both were kidnapped in February.

The Abu Sayyaf is a small band of militants blamed for the country's worst terrorist attacks and is still holding an Italian Red Cross worker Eugenio Vagni who was seized in January in Sulu province. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine Education Officials Appeal For Safe Release Of Kidnapped Teachers

File photos of kidnapped teachers Quizon Freires, Janette Delos Reyes and Rafael Mayonado.

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 26, 2009) – Philippine education officials on Monday made new appeals to suspected Abu Sayyaf militants to release three teachers kidnapped in Zamboanga City.

The trio - Quizon G. Freires, 28; Janette C. Delos Reyes, 29; and Rafael L. Mayonado, 24 – were on a motorboat returning to Zamboanga from a working break when gunmen intercepted them at sea near Zamboanga and brought them to nearby Basilan Island.

Education Secy. Jesli Lapuz expressed concern over the safety of the hostages.

“We are deeply concerned with the safety of our teachers. They preferred to be teachers here than abroad. Why do they have to go through this ordeal? In taking them, the children under their care are deprived of the education they so rightfully deserve,” Lapuz said.

The kidnappers have demanded P6 million ransoms for the safe release of the government teachers.

“Our teachers come from poor families and wish nothing more than support their parents, brothers, and sisters,” said Dolores Alcantara, local schools superintendent.

“These teachers give their time to nurture the children of Zamboanga City to be better citizens and contribute to the economic growth of Mindanao. The parents cannot raise the amount demanded and the government follows a no ransom policy. We pray that the teachers be released,” she said in a statement.

Authorities tagged Abu Sayyaf as behind the kidnappings. (Mindanao Examiner)

Three Filipino teachers kidnapped in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 23, 2009) – Unidentified gunmen intercepted a motorboat on Friday and snatched three government teachers at sea near the southern the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga, officials said.

Officials said the three came from Sacol Island and were on their way to Arena Blanco village in Zamboanga City when gunmen intercepted them at around 8 a.m. “We have reports the teachers were seized by gunmen and we are now searching for them,” village leader Musa Sakaluran said.

The three hostages were identified as Freires Quizon, Janette delos Reyes and Rafael Mayorada.

Government soldiers were also deployed to help in the rescue operation, but the fate of the hostages is unknown.

“We have deployed soldiers helping the police in the operation to locate the victims. We are doing everything to locate them,” said Army Col. Santiago Baluyot, commander of a military anti-terror task force.

No group claimed responsibility for the abductions, but there have been a sudden spike in kidnappings-for-ransom in Zamboanga City in recent months. Authorities have blamed previous kidnappings to the Abu Sayyaf group tied to Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. (Mindanao Examiner)