3 soldiers killed in Sayyaf ambush in southern Philippines

Army soldiers patrol Basilan province in the southern Philippines. Police said three soldiers were killed Thursday, September 16, 2010 in an ambush by al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf rebels. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 16, 2010) – Abu Sayyaf militants whose group is tied to al-Qaeda terror network killed three army soldiers in an ambush Thursday in the restive province of Basilan in the southern Philippines, police said.

Police said the soldiers were patrolling the village of Bohe Lebung when the militants attacked them at around 6:15 a.m. The soldiers belong to the 32nd Infantry Battalion, it said.

It said the attackers were followers of Nur Hassan Jamiri and Long Sulayman, both had been tagged as behind the spate of ambuscades and kidnappings-for-ransom in Basilan, one of five provinces under the troubled Muslim autonomous region.

The fighting lasted about 30 minutes. It was not immediately known whether any of the ambushers were killed or wounded.

Army troops have been deployed in Basilan, just several nautical miles south of Zamboanga City, to help marine and police forces in fighting the insurgents.

Philippine authorities said the Abu Sayyaf also has links with the Indonesian terror group called Jemaah Islamiya. (Mindanao Examiner)

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)

Seaman's daughter kidnapped in Basilan island

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 26, 2008) – Unidentified motorcycle gunmen snatched late Wednesday a nine-year daughter of a Filipino seaman in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, officials said.

The girl, identified as Nicole Rabeche, was seized at gunpoint from her mother at around 7 p.m. near their house in Lamitan City. The kidnappers escaped with their victim on motorbikes, according to local government officials.

No group claimed responsibility for the latest abduction, but Basilan has been plagued by a series of kidnappings for ransom in recent months. Provincial and regional police officials ignored phone calls from journalists.

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.

The Abu Sayyaf is still holding the son of a another seaman, Joed Pilangga, a nursing student kidnapped Oct. 17 outside their house in Zamboanga City and brought to Basilan. Kidnappers have demanded P20 million from Pilangga's family.

The locals blamed the police and military authorities for their failure to secure the safety of the civilians.

An Abu Sayyaf faction, headed by Puruji Indama and Nur Hassan Jamiri, were largely blamed for the kidnappings. 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, also 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. The clergy earlier sought the replacement of the Basilan police chief Salik Macapantar for his failure to secure the island from the Abu Sayyaf.

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)

Sayyaf frees remaining aid worker kidnapped in Southern Philippines

Freed kidnapped aid worker Millet Mendoza with Philippine Navy Captain Jeanne Lingan in Zamboanga City on Saturday, November 15, 2008.

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 15, 2008) – Suspected Abu Sayyaf militants have freed the last of two aid workers they kidnapped in Basilan island in the southern Philippines, officials said Saturday.

Philippine Marines chief General Mohamad Dolorfino said Millet Mendoza was released late Friday on a remote village in Basilan. “Kidnappers have freed Mendoza. She is okay,” Dolorfino told The Manila Times.

Mendoza was released in the town of Al-Barka, a stronghold of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. It was unknown if Mendoza’s family paid ransom or not, but the kidnappers previously demanded P7 million in exchange for her freedom.

Mendoza was seized Sept. 15 along with Esperancita Hupida, program director of the Nagdilaab Foundation, which is active in humanitarian and development works in Basilan island.

Hupida was also freed Oct. 30 also in Al-Barka town after her family paid P2 million ransom.

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 ransoms.

Feliciano, 24, was freed November 7 in Tipo-Tipo town. She was kidnapped July 7 in Zamboanga City and brought to Basilan by boat.

Kidnappers are still holding a Joed Anthony Pilangga, a nursing student snatched on October 17 outside their house in Zamboanga City. Kidnappers have demanded P20 million from Pilangga's family.

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)

Help us, kin of kidnapped victims appeal to President Gloria Arroyo

Families of kidnapped victims in the southern Philippines - couple Manuel and Edna Pilangga, and Ben Feliciano - show photographs of hostages at a news conference in Zamboanga City on Friday, Nov. 7, 2008. They appealed to President Gloria Arroyo to help secure the safe release of Filipino nurse Presciosa Feliciano and Joed Anthony Pilangga, a university student, who were both kidnapped in Zamboanga City this year; and aid worker Millet Mendoza, seized in Basilan island. Abu Sayyaf gunmen are believed holding all the victims in Basilan's hinterlands, and kidnappers demanded at least P32-million in exchange for their freedom. Another kidnapped aid worker Esperancita Hupida was freed last week in exchange for P2 million ransom. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 6, 2008) – Families of kidnapped victims on Friday appealed to President Gloria Arroyo to help secure the release of three hostages being held by Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Filipino province of Basilan.

Militants have demanded at least P32 million ransoms for the safe release of Preciosa Feliciano, Millet Mendoza and Joed Anthony Pilangga. A fourth victim, Esperancita Hupida, was freed October 30 after private negotiators allegedly paid P2 million.

“We appeal to Your Excellency’s urgent intervention, not only for the immediate release of the remaining captives, but to direct and provide all forms necessary support and assistance to the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Local Government Units, and the legal system and members of the civil society involved in trying to come up with short and long-term solutions to this social menace,” the victims’ kin said in their November 4 letter addressed to President Arroyo.

They said government authorities cannot seem to offer enough protection to citizens from lawless groups. “There is a sense of helplessness. No organized group is doing anything to prevent and address the issue of kidnapping. The captors are not brought to justice, and they continue their kidnapping operations. This problem of course relates with the broader conflict in Mindanao,” the kin said in a statement read during an emotional press conference here.

Feliciano, a nurse, was kidnapped July 7 in Zamboanga City and brought to Basilan island, where Abu Sayyaf gunmen are holding Mendoza, an aid worker seized in Tipo-Tipo town on September 15 along with Hupida, program director of the Nagdilaab Foundation.

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 and P5 million ransom from the family of Feliciano.

Feliciano’s family said they had already paid P1.8 million to the kidnappers after selling their properties in Zamboanga City. “We have paid them already, but still they are holding my sister,” Ben Feliciano said.

The families of Pilangga and Mendoza said they cannot afford to pay ransom and have appealed to the kidnappers to free the hostages.

“There is a growing frustration and disappointment of the relatives and friends of the victims over the way authorities are dealing with the cases. There’s no public attention given since these victims are not well-known people. There’s no local initiative of crisis management team that is pursuing their release. The resolution of their cases is nowhere near,” the statement said.

Edna Pilangga, mother of one of the hostage, said the kidnapping has affected the family and appealed to the captors to free her son and the other victims. “Have pity on my son, have pity on us, please free him and the other victims,” she said, sobbing between words, as she appealed also to President Arroyo to look into the plight of the hostages. “Please help us President Arroyo.”

Joy Mendoza, sister of Millet Mendoza, also called on the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is active in Basilan island, to help secure the freedom of the hostages.

“To the MILF, we are appealing to them to help us secure the safe release of the hostages. We know they can help us. We believe in your humanitarian side and goodwill. Development workers like Millet (Mendoza) look at you like brothers,” she said.

There was no immediate statement from Basilan Governor Jum Akbar, who has been spending much of her time in Manila.

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 Puruji Indama and Nur Hassan Jamiri, known leaders of the local Abu Sayyaf group on the island. (Mindanao Examiner)