Showing posts with label Kidnappings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kidnappings. Show all posts
Friday, August 13, 2010
Kidnappings-for-ransom, virtual cottage industry in Mindanao
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Kidnapped teacher is alive in Mindanao
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 28, 2009) – Philippine police said a kidnapped teacher in Mindanao who was reported to have died in captivity is alive.
Kidnappers have contacted the police to deny reports that Noemi Mandi, who was one of three government teachers kidnapped March 3 in Zamboanga Sibugay’s Naga town, had died in captivity, according to a report by the television network ABS-CBN on Saturday.
Police earlier said that it received reports that Mandi had died and that the remaining hostages Jocelyn Enriquez and Jocelyn Inion were handed over to Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Basilan province, where they are also holding three kidnapped teachers, a boy and a Sri Lankan peace worker since early this year.
Senior Supt. Federico Castro Jr., commander of a police task force working for the release of the hostages, said the kidnappers allowed him to talk with Mandi on the phone.
“This time at least we are sure that they are all alive," Castro told ABS-CBN.
He said they recorded the phone conversation, but Mandi was complaining about their living condition in the hands of the kidnappers.
Police did not say whether Mandi was calling from Basilan or in Zamboanga Sibugay province. The kidnappers have earlier demanded P10 million ransoms for the safe release of the three teachers. (Mindanao Examiner)
Kidnappers have contacted the police to deny reports that Noemi Mandi, who was one of three government teachers kidnapped March 3 in Zamboanga Sibugay’s Naga town, had died in captivity, according to a report by the television network ABS-CBN on Saturday.
Police earlier said that it received reports that Mandi had died and that the remaining hostages Jocelyn Enriquez and Jocelyn Inion were handed over to Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Basilan province, where they are also holding three kidnapped teachers, a boy and a Sri Lankan peace worker since early this year.
Senior Supt. Federico Castro Jr., commander of a police task force working for the release of the hostages, said the kidnappers allowed him to talk with Mandi on the phone.
“This time at least we are sure that they are all alive," Castro told ABS-CBN.
He said they recorded the phone conversation, but Mandi was complaining about their living condition in the hands of the kidnappers.
Police did not say whether Mandi was calling from Basilan or in Zamboanga Sibugay province. The kidnappers have earlier demanded P10 million ransoms for the safe release of the three teachers. (Mindanao Examiner)
Friday, March 06, 2009
Everybody Loses: Kidnappers in Sulu, Basilan Hurt Own Communities Most
MANILA, Philippines (Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project / Mar. 6, 2009) - The three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers will soon be starting their seventh week in captivity – having been kidnapped while visiting a provincial jail on Jolo Island in Sulu on January 15.
Their abduction has been deemed ‘a crime against humanity’ by some observers with ICRC chiefs themselves appealing to the kidnappers' ‘sense of humanity.’ The Geneva Conventions – part of International Humanitarian Law, clearly forbids the taking of hostages under Article 3. Failing to respect medical workers and the emblem of the Red Cross is also a crime under international law.
While medicines have reportedly been sent and successfully received by Andreas Notter, Eugenio Vagni and Mary Jean Lacaba, the trio are said to be growing increasingly weak from being kept on the constant move and forced to camp rough.
The Philippine military believes they are being held by Abu Sayyaf somewhere within a four-square-kilometer area of dense jungle. Villagers have been moved out of the area and government forces are said to be closing in on the group. Two suspected kidnappers were killed and 11 soldiers reportedly injured on February 9 during a firefight as the military sought to close in on the gang according to Army Brigadier General Gaudencio Pangilinan.
Contact with the hostages is intermittent and demands for negotiations involving the international community have so far been denied. Media reporting of the case is mostly restrained primarily due to professional concerns and increased awareness over possibly impacting what is obviously a delicate situation - but also because of lack of access. Last year’s kidnapping of Manila-based TV anchor Ces Drilon who visited Sulu hoping for an exclusive interview with an Abu Sayyaf commander was both a sobering lesson for her and much of the media community.
Manila-based and other media visit the area independently and without military protection at their peril. The vast majority of embassies in Manila have long warned their nationals off visiting Mindanao and especially Sulu and the chain of islands remains highly dangerous for internationals. In 2008, Abu Sayyaf threatened to target foreigners visiting Zamboanga and just two weeks ago, a Sri Lankan aid worker living on neighboring Basilan was kidnapped despite working for the Nonviolent Peace Force, an international NGO.
‘Foreigners,’ be they from Sri Lanka, Switzerland, or even Manila are viewed with suspicion by some in the communities in the area who are traditionally wary of ‘outsiders’ –and for whom an outsider can mean anybody from a neighboring country, island, village or clan.
Ces Drilon and the three ICRC victims are only the most high profile outsiders to have been targeted by kidnap gangs in the archipelago and the islands of Western Mindanao.
Since January 2008, priests, teachers, manual workers, NGO activists, businessmen, barangay officials, a jeepney driver, a school principal, a midwife- even a nine year old boy – have been snatched for ransom. Many of them – the child included - remain in captivity.
No fewer than eight people including Sri Lankan Umar Jameel have been abducted in five separate incidents since the Red Cross workers were taken last month.
House Representative Mujiv Hataman of the Anak Mindanao party-list group has claimed that from January through November 2008, no fewer than 33 kidnap-for-ransom cases have been reported with an estimated total of PhP 50 million (USD 1 million) exchanging hands in ransom.
“We can no longer close our eyes to the fact that kidnapping for ransom cases only happens occasionally and only to those considered rich,” says Hataman.
Not only Abu Sayyaf
The Abu Sayyaf (the Sword of God) group has been blamed for a whole series of terror attacks on civilian, religious and military targets across the Philippines, as well as for a series of beheadings of soldiers and civilians alike. But they are only one of many gangs that are believed to be active in the area.
According to journalist Jose Torres Jr., author of the book “Into the Mountain: Hostaged by the Abu Sayyaf,” the lack of employment opportunities and the absence of a source of income for many poor natives in the area have ushered the emergence of kidnapping as a business.
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is the country’s poorest. According to the National Statistical Coordination Board, more than 55 per cent of the population lived in poverty in 2006 – just over twice the national average of 26.9 percent.
Tawi-Tawi has the highest poverty incidence of 78.9 per cent with other ARMM provinces like Basilan and Sulu registering poverty incidences of 31.7 and 46.5, respectively.
Torres says several armed groups have sprouted in the area, making banditry a source of living. Each group operates on its own but has somehow learned to establish a network among each other, allowing them to pass the custody of a hostage from one group to another to evade and confuse government forces.
But only Abu Sayyaf is believed to have the capability to hold hostages for long. Operating in small cell-like structures, its members are long used to moving through the roughest and most isolated terrain as they try and evade capture or firefights with military patrols. While the Philippine Army with US special force support and technology has claimed great success in targeting the group and reducing its capabilities in recent years, it now could be regrouping under new and younger leadership.
Political demands
This time though, the Abu Sayyaf say they are not asking for ransom –at least not in strict monetary terms. Instead they are asking for a ransom paid in livelihood projects for the predominantly Muslim population of Sulu. They are also demanding the Philippine military pulls out from Jolo.
It is a wily move and helps them claim to be politically-driven and not a criminal gang or terrorist group.
Abu Sayyaf insist they are not “terrorists” but engage in kidnapping to attract the attention of the government in Manila. Abu Sayyaf has reportedly asked the government and ambassadors from Italy, Switzerland and Qatar to negotiate with them.
But many, including Major General Juancho Sabban, commander of the military-led Task Force Comet reject the group’s justification for the kidnapping. Sabban has called the demands “ridiculous.”
He adds that bringing in politicians and diplomats to sit down with the kidnappers is far too risky - as Ces Drilon’s abduction last year showed all too well.
Moreover, many hundreds of millions of dollars in development assistance has been poured into the ARMM, disputing claims that it has not been given sufficient attention, adds Sabban. With that, he says, it is the mandate of the Armed Forces to go after the Abu Sayyaf.
Roots of violence
Analysts say it is all too simple – but wrong – to try and blame everything on either Abu Sayyaf or the level of poverty.
Many instead blame a culture of violence and the gun culture where families treasure and prefer weapons over livestock.
Torres says the traditional clannish and feudal cultures have laid the ground for violence and lawlessness. When clans clash, the unspoken but well-understood Moro culture of “blood settled with blood” - the rido comes in.
Local leaders also continue to rule like they are landlords, retaining the gap between the rich and the poor in the aspects of opportunities, privileges and even in the recognition of rights.
This is also why the poor, especially those in remote villages, do not really know any “face of government” as social services could hardly reach them.
The proliferation of loose firearms can make anyone owning one eligible for banditry. Firearms are four to ten times more than the whole human population in the provinces of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan.
Even an ordinary farmer who wants to protect himself has at least one or two guns in his possession. During lean months or when harvest comes scarce, he or his young son can be easily recruited to the bandit gang.
Illegal firearms propagate because no one makes an arrest, says Torres. Such is a reflection of the kind of law enforcement by local leaders who themselves allegedly run their own goons.
Moreover, there is the ongoing issue of the government’s alleged failure to recognize the Muslim Mindanao history, rights and sovereignty. Kidnapping gangs including Abu Sayyaf have been quick to try and capitalize on this.
Alarming level
As abductions reach an alarming level, residents in the affected areas have called on the government to consider it a national security issue that calls for an immediate response.
“This is not a nightmare. This is a bitter and daunting reality that we must face now,” says Hataman.
Many kidnappings – including those of the ICRC workers have taken place in broad daylight and in open, public places and Hataman has asked what the Philippine National Police has been doing.
PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Nicanor Bartolome is quick to respond, saying the police are “doing their best” and that all mechanisms have been put in place to address the issue.
However, he emphasizes factors that make police work in the areas of Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu more difficult than elsewhere.
The kidnappers he says enjoy civilian support from relatives in the area. “The support of the people cannot be discounted,” adds Bartolome, claiming ransoms are often divided up to benefit the extended families and relatives of the kidnappers.
But Bartolome is skeptical of the figures cited by the Anak Mindanao party-list group. The Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response has listed only 11 kidnap-for-ransom cases nationwide in 2008.
Whatever the real figures, it is clear that while some local people clearly benefit from the cottage industry that is kidnapping, no real industry, investment or development of any kind will really come until the communities face down those who terrorize others from within their midst. (Claire Delfin - Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project. The author is a television news reporter of GMA Network, Inc. and is a regular contributor of special reports on women, children, education, health, and the environment to the network’s news website GMANews.TV.)
Their abduction has been deemed ‘a crime against humanity’ by some observers with ICRC chiefs themselves appealing to the kidnappers' ‘sense of humanity.’ The Geneva Conventions – part of International Humanitarian Law, clearly forbids the taking of hostages under Article 3. Failing to respect medical workers and the emblem of the Red Cross is also a crime under international law.
While medicines have reportedly been sent and successfully received by Andreas Notter, Eugenio Vagni and Mary Jean Lacaba, the trio are said to be growing increasingly weak from being kept on the constant move and forced to camp rough.
The Philippine military believes they are being held by Abu Sayyaf somewhere within a four-square-kilometer area of dense jungle. Villagers have been moved out of the area and government forces are said to be closing in on the group. Two suspected kidnappers were killed and 11 soldiers reportedly injured on February 9 during a firefight as the military sought to close in on the gang according to Army Brigadier General Gaudencio Pangilinan.
Contact with the hostages is intermittent and demands for negotiations involving the international community have so far been denied. Media reporting of the case is mostly restrained primarily due to professional concerns and increased awareness over possibly impacting what is obviously a delicate situation - but also because of lack of access. Last year’s kidnapping of Manila-based TV anchor Ces Drilon who visited Sulu hoping for an exclusive interview with an Abu Sayyaf commander was both a sobering lesson for her and much of the media community.
Manila-based and other media visit the area independently and without military protection at their peril. The vast majority of embassies in Manila have long warned their nationals off visiting Mindanao and especially Sulu and the chain of islands remains highly dangerous for internationals. In 2008, Abu Sayyaf threatened to target foreigners visiting Zamboanga and just two weeks ago, a Sri Lankan aid worker living on neighboring Basilan was kidnapped despite working for the Nonviolent Peace Force, an international NGO.
‘Foreigners,’ be they from Sri Lanka, Switzerland, or even Manila are viewed with suspicion by some in the communities in the area who are traditionally wary of ‘outsiders’ –and for whom an outsider can mean anybody from a neighboring country, island, village or clan.
Ces Drilon and the three ICRC victims are only the most high profile outsiders to have been targeted by kidnap gangs in the archipelago and the islands of Western Mindanao.
Since January 2008, priests, teachers, manual workers, NGO activists, businessmen, barangay officials, a jeepney driver, a school principal, a midwife- even a nine year old boy – have been snatched for ransom. Many of them – the child included - remain in captivity.
No fewer than eight people including Sri Lankan Umar Jameel have been abducted in five separate incidents since the Red Cross workers were taken last month.
House Representative Mujiv Hataman of the Anak Mindanao party-list group has claimed that from January through November 2008, no fewer than 33 kidnap-for-ransom cases have been reported with an estimated total of PhP 50 million (USD 1 million) exchanging hands in ransom.
“We can no longer close our eyes to the fact that kidnapping for ransom cases only happens occasionally and only to those considered rich,” says Hataman.
Not only Abu Sayyaf
The Abu Sayyaf (the Sword of God) group has been blamed for a whole series of terror attacks on civilian, religious and military targets across the Philippines, as well as for a series of beheadings of soldiers and civilians alike. But they are only one of many gangs that are believed to be active in the area.
According to journalist Jose Torres Jr., author of the book “Into the Mountain: Hostaged by the Abu Sayyaf,” the lack of employment opportunities and the absence of a source of income for many poor natives in the area have ushered the emergence of kidnapping as a business.
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is the country’s poorest. According to the National Statistical Coordination Board, more than 55 per cent of the population lived in poverty in 2006 – just over twice the national average of 26.9 percent.
Tawi-Tawi has the highest poverty incidence of 78.9 per cent with other ARMM provinces like Basilan and Sulu registering poverty incidences of 31.7 and 46.5, respectively.
Torres says several armed groups have sprouted in the area, making banditry a source of living. Each group operates on its own but has somehow learned to establish a network among each other, allowing them to pass the custody of a hostage from one group to another to evade and confuse government forces.
But only Abu Sayyaf is believed to have the capability to hold hostages for long. Operating in small cell-like structures, its members are long used to moving through the roughest and most isolated terrain as they try and evade capture or firefights with military patrols. While the Philippine Army with US special force support and technology has claimed great success in targeting the group and reducing its capabilities in recent years, it now could be regrouping under new and younger leadership.
Political demands
This time though, the Abu Sayyaf say they are not asking for ransom –at least not in strict monetary terms. Instead they are asking for a ransom paid in livelihood projects for the predominantly Muslim population of Sulu. They are also demanding the Philippine military pulls out from Jolo.
It is a wily move and helps them claim to be politically-driven and not a criminal gang or terrorist group.
Abu Sayyaf insist they are not “terrorists” but engage in kidnapping to attract the attention of the government in Manila. Abu Sayyaf has reportedly asked the government and ambassadors from Italy, Switzerland and Qatar to negotiate with them.
But many, including Major General Juancho Sabban, commander of the military-led Task Force Comet reject the group’s justification for the kidnapping. Sabban has called the demands “ridiculous.”
He adds that bringing in politicians and diplomats to sit down with the kidnappers is far too risky - as Ces Drilon’s abduction last year showed all too well.
Moreover, many hundreds of millions of dollars in development assistance has been poured into the ARMM, disputing claims that it has not been given sufficient attention, adds Sabban. With that, he says, it is the mandate of the Armed Forces to go after the Abu Sayyaf.
Roots of violence
Analysts say it is all too simple – but wrong – to try and blame everything on either Abu Sayyaf or the level of poverty.
Many instead blame a culture of violence and the gun culture where families treasure and prefer weapons over livestock.
Torres says the traditional clannish and feudal cultures have laid the ground for violence and lawlessness. When clans clash, the unspoken but well-understood Moro culture of “blood settled with blood” - the rido comes in.
Local leaders also continue to rule like they are landlords, retaining the gap between the rich and the poor in the aspects of opportunities, privileges and even in the recognition of rights.
This is also why the poor, especially those in remote villages, do not really know any “face of government” as social services could hardly reach them.
The proliferation of loose firearms can make anyone owning one eligible for banditry. Firearms are four to ten times more than the whole human population in the provinces of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan.
Even an ordinary farmer who wants to protect himself has at least one or two guns in his possession. During lean months or when harvest comes scarce, he or his young son can be easily recruited to the bandit gang.
Illegal firearms propagate because no one makes an arrest, says Torres. Such is a reflection of the kind of law enforcement by local leaders who themselves allegedly run their own goons.
Moreover, there is the ongoing issue of the government’s alleged failure to recognize the Muslim Mindanao history, rights and sovereignty. Kidnapping gangs including Abu Sayyaf have been quick to try and capitalize on this.
Alarming level
As abductions reach an alarming level, residents in the affected areas have called on the government to consider it a national security issue that calls for an immediate response.
“This is not a nightmare. This is a bitter and daunting reality that we must face now,” says Hataman.
Many kidnappings – including those of the ICRC workers have taken place in broad daylight and in open, public places and Hataman has asked what the Philippine National Police has been doing.
PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Nicanor Bartolome is quick to respond, saying the police are “doing their best” and that all mechanisms have been put in place to address the issue.
However, he emphasizes factors that make police work in the areas of Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu more difficult than elsewhere.
The kidnappers he says enjoy civilian support from relatives in the area. “The support of the people cannot be discounted,” adds Bartolome, claiming ransoms are often divided up to benefit the extended families and relatives of the kidnappers.
But Bartolome is skeptical of the figures cited by the Anak Mindanao party-list group. The Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response has listed only 11 kidnap-for-ransom cases nationwide in 2008.
Whatever the real figures, it is clear that while some local people clearly benefit from the cottage industry that is kidnapping, no real industry, investment or development of any kind will really come until the communities face down those who terrorize others from within their midst. (Claire Delfin - Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project. The author is a television news reporter of GMA Network, Inc. and is a regular contributor of special reports on women, children, education, health, and the environment to the network’s news website GMANews.TV.)
Sunday, February 08, 2009
Kidnapped Midwife Escapes From Captors In Basilan Province
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 08, 2009) – A kidnapped Filipino midwife escaped from his captors in Basilan province in southern Philippines, where suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen are also holding three government teachers abducted in Zamboanga City, officials said Sunday.
Eleazar Gumera, who works for the Lamitan City Health Office, escaped at around 10 p.m. in Tuburan town after pretending to urinate, said Army Lt. Steffani Cacho, a regional military spokeswoman.
“He slipped away from his captors by pretending to answer the call of nature and ran away when he had the chance,” Cacho said.
But conflicting military reports from Basilan province said Gumera escaped after his captors were alarmed by the presence of soldiers near them and that the victim had walked for hours and swam to sea after seeing navy ships in the middle of the night.
The reports said a passing motorboat picked up Gumera and brought him to the village of Bato where he sought help. Village officials who learned about Gumera’s daring escape brought him Sunday morning to Lamitan City Mayor Roderick Furigay.
The 45-year old victim was reported missing January 28 after he went to the village of Parangbasak in Lamitan town to help deliver a baby.
Although no group claimed responsibility for Gumera’s kidnapping, but authorities suspect the Abu Sayyaf could be behind it. The group is still holding a trader Eliseo Hablo and three government teachers Freires Quizon, Janette delos Reyes and Rafael Mayorada – all kidnapped in Zamboanga City and brought by boat to Basilan island.
Kidnappers are also holding captive Chester Gruta, 9, who was snatched February 1 in Lamitan City, and Leah Patris who was seized February 3 in Sumisip town.
Last week, a kidnapped victim Ahmad Ilang, Patris’ companion, was released by his captors, but the military insisted that he was rescued in Maluso town. Ilang and Patris were employees of the lending firm called Kasanyangan Foundation Inc. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Presence of suspicious men scare traders, parents in Zamboanga City
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 04, 2009) – Suspicious persons have been spotted near a Catholic university and commercial buildings in downtown Zamboanga City, where a wave of kidnappings and failed abductions had been reported in recent months.
The men, who spoke in Tausug, a dialect widely used in Sulu province, had been noticed acting suspiciously the past weeks along Nunez Road near the back entrance of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, MP Towers and Filinvest buildings where a row of offices, stores and restaurants are situated.
Witnesses said the men, clad in jacket and wore hats and helmets, were using red and black motorcycles and frequenting the area in the morning and later in the afternoon.
In several occasions, witnesses claimed seeing black and grey vans with suspicious passengers, also speaking in Tausug dialect, near those establishments. Traffic policemen near the area were apparently unaware of the presence of the suspicious men.
Gunmen had kidnapped in Zamboanga City a bakery owner Eliseo Hablo and three government teachers– all kidnapped in Zamboanga City by armed men were also taken to Basilan.
Three government teachers, Freires Quizon, Janette de los Reyes and Rafael Mayorada and a bakery owner, Eliseo Hablo, were kidnapped recently in Zamboanga City.
A string of kidnapping and failed abductions of students were also reported in the local media in recent weeks. The wave of kidnappings has worried many traders and residents. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Gunmen free 7 kidnapped construction workers in Basilan Island
Kidnapped Filipino construction workers arrive at a military camp for presentation to the media following their release Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008 at Isabela city, the capital of the island province of Basilan in southern Philippines. Gunmen released seven construction workers they kidnapped a week ago after Philippine troops went on the offensive and took over the gunmen's hide-out on southern Basilan island, a military spokeswoman Lt. Steffani Cacho said Tuesday. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 9, 2008) – Gunmen freed seven Filipino construction workers after a weeklong captivity in the hinterlands of the Basilan island in the southern Philippines, officials said on Tuesday.
Officials said the hostages had been released unharmed after a series of negotiations headed started by Lamitan City Mayor Roderick Furigay. The seven had been freed on a village in Tuburan town, said Lt. Steffani Cacho, spokesperson of the Philippine military command in Western Mindanao.
"They were released at around 10.30 p.m. in Tuburan town through the efforts of Mayor Roderick Furigay," she said, adding, no ransom was paid. Details of the negotiations were not immediately available, except that the hostages were handed over to the emissaries of Furigay.
Gunmen seized the seven people after stopping a lorry near Tuburan town on December 1. Authorities initially blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in the kidnappings, but apparently it was carried out by a small criminal gang wanted to get ransom, other sources said.
Two more people were people were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen on December 2 near Maluso town also in Basilan island, but they had been freed three days later, said Vice Gov. Al Rasheed Sakalahul.
Two other hostages - Joed Pilangga, a nursing student snatched Oct. 17 in Zamboanga City, and a nine-year old girl seized Nov. 26 in Lamitan City - are still being held by the Abu Sayyaf, a small militant group blamed for the spate of kidnappings for ransom in Basilan and other parts of the southern Philippines.
Military offensive since last week have targeted the Abu Sayyaf, but the larger rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, had been dragged into the skirmishes after it accused government troops of attacking its positions on the island.
In retaliation, the rebels launched a series of attacks against government forces, sparking sporadic, but fierce fighting last week. On Monday, five marines were killed and two dozen more wounded in a firefight with MILF forces in Al-Barka town.
A local military commander, Marine Brig. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, accused the MILF of coddling Abu Sayyaf terrorists and vowed to step up the operation against the militants.
More than a dozen people had been kidnapped by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants headed by Puruji Indama and Nur Hassan Jamiri in recent months and most of them had been freed in exchange for huge ransoms.
Locals blamed the police and military authorities in Basilan, one of six provinces under the Muslim autonomous region, for their failure to secure the safety of the civilians. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Two More Kidnapped In Basilan Island; 9 Others Still Being Held Hostage
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Troops launch offensive vs. Abu Sayyaf; 7 people kidnapped in Basilan anew
BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 2, 2008) – Government troops on Tuesday mounted fresh operations to flush out Abu Sayyaf militants, blamed for the spate of kidnappings-for-ransom in Basilan island in the southern Philippines.
On Monday, seven people had been kidnapped in the restive province, south of Zamboanga City, and two government militias were wounded in an attack later in the day near Ungkaya Pukan town, scene of previous clashes between Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels and soldiers.
Marine Col. Rustico Guererro said troops were also parrying attacks from members of the country’s largest Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is sheltering the Abu Sayyaf militants, whose group has been linked by authorities to the Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya.
Guererro blamed the attack on the marine post on the MILF rebels. “The attack is believed to a diversionary tactic by the rebels to slow us down, but our operation against the Abu Sayyaf will continue until they are neutralized,” he said.
There were no reports about the fate of the kidnapped victims, all logging workers, but Guererro said security forces were sent to track down the hostages. “These people were all innocent victims. There are efforts to locate them,” he said.
No group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, although the military suspects the MILF was behind it.
Basilan deputy governor Al Rasheed Sakalahul said more than 700 Muslim families were affected by the sporadic fighting between rebels and soldiers. “We hope this fighting would end soon,” he said.
On Monday, seven people had been kidnapped in the restive province, south of Zamboanga City, and two government militias were wounded in an attack later in the day near Ungkaya Pukan town, scene of previous clashes between Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels and soldiers.
Marine Col. Rustico Guererro said troops were also parrying attacks from members of the country’s largest Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is sheltering the Abu Sayyaf militants, whose group has been linked by authorities to the Al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya.
Guererro blamed the attack on the marine post on the MILF rebels. “The attack is believed to a diversionary tactic by the rebels to slow us down, but our operation against the Abu Sayyaf will continue until they are neutralized,” he said.
There were no reports about the fate of the kidnapped victims, all logging workers, but Guererro said security forces were sent to track down the hostages. “These people were all innocent victims. There are efforts to locate them,” he said.
No group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, although the military suspects the MILF was behind it.
Basilan deputy governor Al Rasheed Sakalahul said more than 700 Muslim families were affected by the sporadic fighting between rebels and soldiers. “We hope this fighting would end soon,” he said.
Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said government forces were attacking rebel positions in the guise of pursuing Abu Sayyaf militants, blamed for the string of attacks on troops and kidnappings-for-ransom on the island, south of Zamboanga City.
“We are still awaiting reports from our commanders in Basilan about the fighting,” he said. “Apparently, the military is just using the operations against the Abu Sayyaf to justify continued attacks on the MILF.”
Fighting on the island began last Friday after troops mounted an operation to flush out the Abu Sayyaf, which is believed to be holding two kidnapped civilians - Joed Pilangga, a nursing student snatched Oct. 17 in Zamboanga City, and Nicole Raveche, seized Nov. 26 in Lamitan City - for ransom.
More than a dozen people had been kidnapped by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants in Basilan, including two aid workers, and most of them had been freed in exchange for huge ransoms. Locals blamed the police and military authorities in Basilan, one of six provinces under the Muslim autonomous region, for its failure to secure the safety of the civilians.
The military accused MILF rebels of sheltering Puruji Indama and Nur Hassan Jamiri, leaders of an Abu Sayyaf faction largely blamed for the kidnappings in Basilan. They also sent letters to Christians living on the island threatening them with harm if they do not embrace Islam.
A Catholic clergy, Bishop Martin Jumoad, has previously blamed the police and military for the breakdown of peace and order in Basilan after receiving also a signed letter from the Abu Sayyaf threatening his group.
Jumoad earlier sought the replacement of the Basilan police chief Salik Macapantar for his failure to secure the island from the Abu Sayyaf atrocities. In October, gunmen also ambushed and wounded Claretian priest Felimon Libot in while on his way to say mass in Basilan's Sumisip town. (Mindanao Examiner)
Friday, November 14, 2008
8 Villagers Seized In Basilan Island
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 14, 2008) – Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels seized Saturday at least 8 people in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, reports said.
The rebels, led by Sattar Alih, abducted the villagers for a still unknown reason. Regional and provincial police and military officials declined to give any statement and their spokesman refused to answer phone calls made by journalists.
A local radio network Radyo Agong reported that the rebels seized the villagers in the town of Maluso. But the MILF in Basilan said the rebels only used the villagers to guide them to the town’s hinterlands and that all of the civilians are now back to their families.
Just last week, Abu Sayyaf militants have released a kidnapped Filipino nurse, Preciosa Feliciano, after four months in captivity in Basilan in exchange for P2 million ransom.
Feliciano, 24, was freed November 7 in Tipo-Tipo town. She was kidnapped July 7 in Zamboanga City and brought to Basilan by boat.
The rebels, led by Sattar Alih, abducted the villagers for a still unknown reason. Regional and provincial police and military officials declined to give any statement and their spokesman refused to answer phone calls made by journalists.
A local radio network Radyo Agong reported that the rebels seized the villagers in the town of Maluso. But the MILF in Basilan said the rebels only used the villagers to guide them to the town’s hinterlands and that all of the civilians are now back to their families.
Just last week, Abu Sayyaf militants have released a kidnapped Filipino nurse, Preciosa Feliciano, after four months in captivity in Basilan in exchange for P2 million ransom.
Feliciano, 24, was freed November 7 in Tipo-Tipo town. She was kidnapped July 7 in Zamboanga City and brought to Basilan by boat.
The Abu Sayyaf, headed by Puruji Indaman and Nur Hassan Jamiri, is still holding Millet Mendoza and Joed Anthony Pilangga. A fourth victim, Esperancita Hupida, was freed October 30 after private negotiators allegedly paid P2 million.Families of kidnapped victims on Friday appealed to President Gloria Arroyo to help secure the release of the hostages.
Pilanga, a university student, was snatched on October 17 outside their house in Zamboanga City. Kidnappers have demanded P20 million from Pilangga's family; P7 million for Mendoza's freedom.
The families of Pilangga and Mendoza said they cannot afford to pay ransom and have appealed to the kidnappers to free the hostages.
The Abu Sayyaf also kidnapped nine people in recent months in Basilan and sent letters to Christians living on the island threatening them with harm if they do not embrace Islam. The letters were signed by Indama and Jamiri. (Mindanao Examiner)
Friday, November 07, 2008
Gunmen seized couple in Southern Philippines
ILIGAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 7, 2008) – Unidentified gunmen abducted a Filipino couple Friday in Iligan City in the southern Philippines, authorities said.
It said gunmen seized Rosaleho Herbito and his wife Soling in the village of Abuno before noontime and fled onboard the couple’s truck towards Tagoloan town in Lanao del Sur province.
No group claimed responsibility for the latest abduction and authorities are still investigating the motive of the attack. Authorities gave no details about the couple, but the area where they had been seized was previously attacked by Moro rebels. (Mindanao Examiner)
It said gunmen seized Rosaleho Herbito and his wife Soling in the village of Abuno before noontime and fled onboard the couple’s truck towards Tagoloan town in Lanao del Sur province.
No group claimed responsibility for the latest abduction and authorities are still investigating the motive of the attack. Authorities gave no details about the couple, but the area where they had been seized was previously attacked by Moro rebels. (Mindanao Examiner)
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Stay Out Zamboanga City, US Embassy Warns Citizens
MANILA, Philippines - The US Embassy warned its citizens Tuesday about plans by "extremist elements" to kidnap Americans and other foreigners in a southern Philippine city where US counterterrorism troops have been deployed.
"Extremist elements may be planning to kidnap Americans or other foreigners at hotels or other public places in the Zamboanga City area," it said in an e-mail.US Embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Thompson said she was unaware of specific details of the threat.
A Philippine security official said authorities received intelligence last month that the Abu Sayyaf -- a small but violent al-Qaeda-linked group -- planned to kidnap wealthy Filipino Chinese traders, not Americans, in the south to raise money for operations.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.Zamboanga Mayor Celso Lobregat said police told him there was no kidnapping plot specifically directed at Americans in Zamboanga, about 860 kilometers (530 miles) south of Manila."This is really very disappointing," Lobregat told The Associated Press by telephone.
"Zamboanga is a very peaceful city."US counterterrorism troops have been based in recent years in Zamboanga and on nearby Jolo island, where they provide training to Filipino troops battling the Abu Sayyaf and Indonesian militants.
Abu Sayyaf guerrillas have been blamed for bombings, kidnappings and beheadings, but their attacks have considerably eased in recent years.US-backed offensives against the militants, arrests and surrenders have reduced the Abu Sayyaf's strength to about 300 armed fighters from more than 1,000 in 2000, according to the military.
"Extremist elements may be planning to kidnap Americans or other foreigners at hotels or other public places in the Zamboanga City area," it said in an e-mail.US Embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Thompson said she was unaware of specific details of the threat.
A Philippine security official said authorities received intelligence last month that the Abu Sayyaf -- a small but violent al-Qaeda-linked group -- planned to kidnap wealthy Filipino Chinese traders, not Americans, in the south to raise money for operations.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.Zamboanga Mayor Celso Lobregat said police told him there was no kidnapping plot specifically directed at Americans in Zamboanga, about 860 kilometers (530 miles) south of Manila."This is really very disappointing," Lobregat told The Associated Press by telephone.
"Zamboanga is a very peaceful city."US counterterrorism troops have been based in recent years in Zamboanga and on nearby Jolo island, where they provide training to Filipino troops battling the Abu Sayyaf and Indonesian militants.
Abu Sayyaf guerrillas have been blamed for bombings, kidnappings and beheadings, but their attacks have considerably eased in recent years.US-backed offensives against the militants, arrests and surrenders have reduced the Abu Sayyaf's strength to about 300 armed fighters from more than 1,000 in 2000, according to the military.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Sayyaf Strikes Again In South RP
SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 28, 2008) – Suspected Abu Sayyaf militants on Monday kidnapped a female trader in the southern Philippine province of Sulu.
Gunmen seized the trader outside her house in Jolo town at around 5.30 p.m. Monday and relatives were said to be negotiating for her safe release. It was unknown whether the kidnappers demanded ransom.
The woman, who buys and sells Malaysian goods in Jolo, is a Filipino Muslim with Chinese ancestry.
But government intelligence reports said two other women were kidnapped Monday in Jolo town, although their names were not immediately known. The reports said the women were being held in the hinterlands near Patikul town.
The kidnappings came ahead of a joint RP-US military training in Sulu. US and Philippine troops are set to begin this month the Balikatan 2008, codename for the annual joint anti-terror training. Hundreds of US troops are deployed in Sulu since last year where they also held an anti-terror training with local soldiers.
Last week, Abu Sayyaf gunmen shot and killed a man while eating on a roadside restaurant in Jolo town. Gunmen shot in the man in the head.
One Muslim trader, suspected of helping the government's anti-insurgency operation, was also kidnapped in Jolo last Tuesday and briefly held him in Patikul town. He was tortured before being freed, his relatives said.
Abu Sayyaf also held several passengers of a commuter van at a highway near Patikul town last week, but freed all of them after one of the victims turned out to be a Muslim cleric. But the group seized a local engineer and freed his after he allegedly paid money in the village of Taung in Patikul town, a known stronghold of the militant group ties to al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya.
The heightened Abu Sayyaf activity on Sulu began when the military ordered thousands of infantrymen, including an army brigade, deployed to Lanao province on January 18. Only two marine brigades, composed of about 5,000 soldiers and a few hundred army troops, are left to quell a growing insurgency and terrorism, especially at a time that peace is slowly returning to Sulu.
Provincial government officials fear the Abu Sayyaf may be active again after months of silence. Officials were worried about the implications of the kidnapping and new threats of terrorism to Sulu's economy and the peace and order situation at a time the province is being promoted as a new cultural and tourism destination in southern Philippines.
Sulu has recently embarked on a tourism campaign called "Visit Sulu 2008" in an effort to attract visitors and investments in the province, whose pristine beaches, dive sites and beautiful tropical islands are one of its attractions.
Village leaders were also asking the military to send additional troops to Sulu to address the threats of the Abu Sayyaf, blamed on the spate of terrorism and kidnappings in the province, about 950 kilometers south of Manila.
Last week, Sulu launched its own version of the citizen ID system in Patikul town aimed at protecting villagers against terrorism. Mayors and business groups and citizens supported the ID system which will eventually launch in other towns. Sulu is one of five provinces under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Two Kidnapped Filipinos Escape In Sulu Province
Policemen escort two escaped men in the southern RP province of Sulu. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Nickee Butlangan)
SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 18, 2007) – Two Filipinos seized in the southern province of Sulu had escaped from their captors and security forces on Monday mounted fresh operation to capture Abu Sayyaf militants tagged as behind the kidnappings, officials said.
Officials said the two men, Rolando Benitez and Edmar Molina, escaped late Sunday in the village of Wanni in Patikul town, five days after they were seized in the neighboring town of Patikul.
It was unknown how the two men were able to escaped, but Maj. Gen. Reuben Rafael, commander of military forces in Sulu, said troops were pursuing the kidnappers in the hinterlands.
"The victims are now in our custody and were already examined by doctors. They are okay," Rafael told the Mindanao Examiner by telephone from Sulu, about 950 kilometers south of Manila.
He said soldiers were tracking down the militants, who originally demanded five million pesos ransom in exchange for the safe release of the two men, who are workers of Panglima town mayor Munib Estino in Sulu.
The two had been recovered by soldiers, sent to rescue them, Rafael said. "The kidnappers may have also been pressured by the rescue operation, They were constantly moving from one hideout to another and this gave the victims a chance to escape," he said.
Other reports said the two men sought the help of a villager, who turned out to be a member of the former rebel group Moro National Liberation Front, and informed police about the escape.
The two were driving a jeep in Patikul when gunmen flagged down the vehicle and seized them. The gunmen also took their jeep.
Estino is an influential politician in Sulu. It was unclear whether the abduction was connected to a feud or not or has anything to do with the politician or simply for money. Two of the kidnappers have been identified as Kirrih Hamid and Juhurim Husein. (Nickee Butlangan)
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Asian Bloc Works To Promote Regional Tourism
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 14 Aug) - To offer alternative options to the more prominent tourist destinations in Asia, such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, travel agencies and tour operators in the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) will formally converge this year to develop and market innovative and competitive tour packages across the EAGA.
Focusing on Culture, Adventure and Nature (CAN), the establishment of the BIMP-EAGA Consortium of Tour Operators and Travel Agents is projected by the BIMP-EAGA Tourism Council (BETC) as a strategic arm that will seek ways to maximize the region’s potentials as an alternative to mainstream tourist destinations in Asia.
This was one of the major results of the BIMP-EAGA Tourism Value Chain Seminar and the 4th BIMP-EAGA Joint Tourism Development Cluster Meeting held last month in Brunei Darussalam.
The consortium’s function in maximizing EAGA’s potentials as a tourist destination will be further explored on Wednesday's roundtable discussion on BIMP-EAGA CAN in Davao City, as part of an effort to establish joint tourism marketing and promotions for Mindanao and Palawan.
Mary Ann Montemayor, chairperson of the Philippine side of the BIMP-EAGA Tourism Council (BETC), said the meeting will identify major CAN destinations in Mindanao and Palawan that will be the major focus of marketing and promotion in BIMP-EAGA with Davao City, Zamboanga City and Palawan province as gateways.
As the consortium will be officially launched during the 3rd BIMP-EAGA TRAVEX in November 2007 in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, BETC Chairs have now started tapping active travel tour operators and travel agents for membership.
For the Philippine side of the BETC, three tourism organization heads from the Davao Association of Tour Operators (DATO), Davao Tourism Association Agencies (DTAA), and the National Association Independence of Travel Agents (NAITAS), Davao, have already given their commitment to the consortium.
The DOT regional directors in Mindanao and Palawan, on the other hand, will identify their respective travel agents and tour operators for the consortium.
Montemayor said the identified consortium may be able to develop competitive tour packages on certain conditions.
First, commercial flights should be made available, as this will set the cost of the tour package. While travel agents can still develop tour packages without ready flights, the competitiveness will be in question, given the cost to be considered for connecting flights.
Second, should flights be available, acceptable arrangements would have to be undertaken by airline companies with tour operators and travel agents, particularly on promotional ticket rates.
And third is the presence of committed travel agents who could vigorously sell these tour packages in the market, should be secured. Once these conditions are met, the consortium will be able to develop competitive tour packages for BIMP-EAGA.
But with the threats of terrorism and kidnappings of foreigners and the constant travel warnings by Western and Asian embassies on their citizens in the troubled refion of Mindanao and Sulu Archipelago, tourists may be forced to skip the Philippines from their itinerary.
Focusing on Culture, Adventure and Nature (CAN), the establishment of the BIMP-EAGA Consortium of Tour Operators and Travel Agents is projected by the BIMP-EAGA Tourism Council (BETC) as a strategic arm that will seek ways to maximize the region’s potentials as an alternative to mainstream tourist destinations in Asia.
This was one of the major results of the BIMP-EAGA Tourism Value Chain Seminar and the 4th BIMP-EAGA Joint Tourism Development Cluster Meeting held last month in Brunei Darussalam.
The consortium’s function in maximizing EAGA’s potentials as a tourist destination will be further explored on Wednesday's roundtable discussion on BIMP-EAGA CAN in Davao City, as part of an effort to establish joint tourism marketing and promotions for Mindanao and Palawan.
Mary Ann Montemayor, chairperson of the Philippine side of the BIMP-EAGA Tourism Council (BETC), said the meeting will identify major CAN destinations in Mindanao and Palawan that will be the major focus of marketing and promotion in BIMP-EAGA with Davao City, Zamboanga City and Palawan province as gateways.
As the consortium will be officially launched during the 3rd BIMP-EAGA TRAVEX in November 2007 in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, BETC Chairs have now started tapping active travel tour operators and travel agents for membership.
For the Philippine side of the BETC, three tourism organization heads from the Davao Association of Tour Operators (DATO), Davao Tourism Association Agencies (DTAA), and the National Association Independence of Travel Agents (NAITAS), Davao, have already given their commitment to the consortium.
The DOT regional directors in Mindanao and Palawan, on the other hand, will identify their respective travel agents and tour operators for the consortium.
Montemayor said the identified consortium may be able to develop competitive tour packages on certain conditions.
First, commercial flights should be made available, as this will set the cost of the tour package. While travel agents can still develop tour packages without ready flights, the competitiveness will be in question, given the cost to be considered for connecting flights.
Second, should flights be available, acceptable arrangements would have to be undertaken by airline companies with tour operators and travel agents, particularly on promotional ticket rates.
And third is the presence of committed travel agents who could vigorously sell these tour packages in the market, should be secured. Once these conditions are met, the consortium will be able to develop competitive tour packages for BIMP-EAGA.
But with the threats of terrorism and kidnappings of foreigners and the constant travel warnings by Western and Asian embassies on their citizens in the troubled refion of Mindanao and Sulu Archipelago, tourists may be forced to skip the Philippines from their itinerary.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
4 Kidnappers Killed, Hostage Rescued In South RP
Three of four suspected kidnappers are killed during a rescue operation in Davao City in southern Philippines that liberated a gas depot owner. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service/Romy Bwaga)
DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 10 Jul) – Philippine police killed four suspected kidnappers, including a policeman and a former soldier, in a successful rescue mission that freed a wealthy gas depot owner.
Police on Wednesday said the four were shot dead in a firefight at a hideout in Davao City and that Edgar Baroso, who was kidnapped July 7 inside his office, was rescued safely.
The kidnappers demanded P10 million from Baroso’s family. Two of those killed were identified as Senior Police Officer 2 Jaime Telebangco, of the Regional Mobile Group, and Jessie Muit, a former army soldier. Their companions remain unidentified, police said.
Local Mayor Rodrigo Duterte lauded the police for the rescue operation and warned other criminal syndicate members that they will suffer the same fate.
Duterte also inspected the hideout of the kidnappers shortly after the fight.
He said Baroso’s wife was negotiating with the kidnappers for the release of the hostage when security forces stormed the hideout. (Romy Bwaga)
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Kidnappers Free Hostages To Muslim Rebels In South RP
NORTH COTABATO (Mindanao Examiner / 31 May) – Kidnappers have freed on Thursday four people they earlier seized in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Gunmen released the four to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in the village of Balongis in North Cotabato’s Pikit town, said Col. Pedro Soria, commander of the Army’s 602nd Infantry Brigade in the province.
The release of the hostages previously reported as Caucasians came hours after the rebel group, backed by security forces, mounted a massive rescue operation.
But it turned out that only one hostage is foreigner, Thomas Wallart, a German national. Other reports identified the German as Wallraf, from Cologne. The others are Filipinos – May Sharon, the German’s wife; and Diego Daniel, the van driver; and Consuelo San Juan, a friend of the German couple.
"The victims were released to the MILF and they will be turned over to us," Soria told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.
The four were heading to North Cotabato from Davao City onboard a van when gunmen flagged down their vehicle.
Major General Raymundo Ferrer, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the four hostages were not harmed by the gunmen. “They are all alright,” he said.
Ferrer said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country’s largest Muslim rebel group negotiating peace with Manila, offered to help track down the kidnappers.
The MILF has in the past helped the government rescue kidnapped foreigners and Filipinos in Mindanao.
A rebel spokesman, Eid Kabalu, said the four would be handed over to the Philippine authorities and the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team. “We are glad it’s over,” he said in a separate interview.
One of the hostage, May Sharon Wallart, said they were not harmed by the kidnappers, but shaken by the ordeal. "We are really thankful that they did not harm any of us. We are so tired and probably fly back to Manila to get some rest," she told reporters in Pikit town.
She said the gunmen, clad in military uniform, flagged down their vehicle at a checkpoint and seized them. "We did not think it was a kidnap because they were all wearing uniform like those of the soldiers. They took our belongings and tied our hands and took us away," she said.
The woman said she and her husband were in Pikit on a business trip. "We are into metal trading," she said.
Other reports said the German national is a treasure hunter.
The abductions coincided with the start of the ten-day joint amphibious war games between the Philippines and the United States.
Marine Major General Mohammad Dolorfino, chairman of the government Ad hoc Joint Action Group, said the abductors were bandits operating in North Cotabato.
“The MILF is able to react immediately and rebel forces sealed off the area where the abductors are holding the four victims and recovered them safely,” he said.
It was unknown whether the MILF arrested any of the gunmen. (With reports from Juley Reyes, Mark Navales and Juan Magtanggol)
Gunmen released the four to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in the village of Balongis in North Cotabato’s Pikit town, said Col. Pedro Soria, commander of the Army’s 602nd Infantry Brigade in the province.
The release of the hostages previously reported as Caucasians came hours after the rebel group, backed by security forces, mounted a massive rescue operation.
But it turned out that only one hostage is foreigner, Thomas Wallart, a German national. Other reports identified the German as Wallraf, from Cologne. The others are Filipinos – May Sharon, the German’s wife; and Diego Daniel, the van driver; and Consuelo San Juan, a friend of the German couple.
"The victims were released to the MILF and they will be turned over to us," Soria told the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.
The four were heading to North Cotabato from Davao City onboard a van when gunmen flagged down their vehicle.
Major General Raymundo Ferrer, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the four hostages were not harmed by the gunmen. “They are all alright,” he said.
Ferrer said the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the country’s largest Muslim rebel group negotiating peace with Manila, offered to help track down the kidnappers.
The MILF has in the past helped the government rescue kidnapped foreigners and Filipinos in Mindanao.
A rebel spokesman, Eid Kabalu, said the four would be handed over to the Philippine authorities and the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team. “We are glad it’s over,” he said in a separate interview.
One of the hostage, May Sharon Wallart, said they were not harmed by the kidnappers, but shaken by the ordeal. "We are really thankful that they did not harm any of us. We are so tired and probably fly back to Manila to get some rest," she told reporters in Pikit town.
She said the gunmen, clad in military uniform, flagged down their vehicle at a checkpoint and seized them. "We did not think it was a kidnap because they were all wearing uniform like those of the soldiers. They took our belongings and tied our hands and took us away," she said.
The woman said she and her husband were in Pikit on a business trip. "We are into metal trading," she said.
Other reports said the German national is a treasure hunter.
The abductions coincided with the start of the ten-day joint amphibious war games between the Philippines and the United States.
Marine Major General Mohammad Dolorfino, chairman of the government Ad hoc Joint Action Group, said the abductors were bandits operating in North Cotabato.
“The MILF is able to react immediately and rebel forces sealed off the area where the abductors are holding the four victims and recovered them safely,” he said.
It was unknown whether the MILF arrested any of the gunmen. (With reports from Juley Reyes, Mark Navales and Juan Magtanggol)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)