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By Al Jacinto, Correspondent
JOLO, Sulu: Abu Sayyaf rebels tied to the al-Qaeda
terror network on Monday threatened to harm a kidnapped Philippine
television reporter and her companions if their families failed to
pay P15 million in ransom by noon today.
Incoming Press Secretary Jesus Dureza told a
press briefing in Malacañang that the government is standing firm
on its no-ransom policy but acknowledged that the ultimatum set by
the kidnappers should not be taken lightly.
”I have direct contact with some people in
Sulu and, evidently, it’s confirmed there is demand for ransom. We
don’t wish to entertain this as far as government is concerned,”
he said. The group of ABS-CBN television reporter Ces Oreña-Drilon
was kidnapped on June 8 in Sulu province.
Dureza thanked the ABS-CBN radio and television
network for also adopting the no-ransom position.
“They [Abu Sayyaf rebels] have a long record
of atrocities, and everybody knows this so we take that into heart;
and we hope that Ces and the group that are still being held there
will be able to return home safely,” he said.
But Dureza did not say if the government had
sanctioned military operations that began over the weekend on
suspected lairs of the rebels, except that President Gloria Arroyo
had given clear orders to bring the victims home safely.
Three hostages
The extremist rebels kidnapped Drilon and Jimmy
Encarnacion, who work for ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., and their
guide Octavio Dinampo of Mindanao State University in Maimbung town
of Sulu in southern Mindanao region. They were set to interview
Radulan Sahiron, a senior rebel leader, who supposedly has sent
surrender feelers to authorities. Apparently, his real intention was
to lure journalists to Sulu.
Another ABS-CBN cameraman, Angelo Valderama, was
also kidnapped but was freed on June 12 after negotiators allegedly
paid a P5-million ransom for his freedom. The kidnappers, believed
to be headed by Sahiron himself, gave an ultimatum until noon today
for the families of the remaining hostages to pay a P15-million
ransom. Agence France-Presse put the amount at $1 million, or
roughly P44 million. It said a deadline for the other two hostages
was unclear.
“They [kidnappers] threatened to harm the
hostages if their demand is not met by noon on Tuesday,” said Jun
Alvarez, a son of Sulu Mayor Isnaji Alvarez, who was selected by the
abductors to negotiate for the release of Drilon’s group.
“I don’t know what they will do with the
hostages. Let us just pray that nothing bad will happen to them,”
Jun Alvarez added. According to him, the kidnappers, who were
angered by the slow progress of the talks with Drilon’s family,
have tied the hands of Encarnacion and Dinampo.
Isnaji Alvarez said the family of Drilon is
negotiating directly with the Abu Sayyaf and even promised to pay
ransom to the kidnappers. “The kidnappers told me that the family
would pay ransom and that is the basis of their ultimatum. The
kidnappers are demanding P15 million,” he told The Manila Times.
Recovery efforts
ABS-CBN, in a statement, also on Monday denied
the negotiations. It said it was “deeply saddened and troubled by
accusations” that it had abandoned its kidnapped employees but
reaffirmed its policy against paying ransom.
Isnaji Alvarez said he spoke with Drilon on
Monday morning and she appealed again to speed up the negotiations
for the release of her group. “She was crying and appealed again
to fast-track the negotiations. She said the kidnappers have tied
the hands of Encarnacion and Dinampo,” Isnaji said.
Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan, the head of a local crisis
management committee, appealed to negotiators not to pay ransom to
the Abu Sayyaf. “Paying ransom is not the solution to resolve this
hostage crisis, but it will create for us more troubles because the
Abu Sayyaf can use the money to buy weapons and finance
terrorism,” he said.
Isnaji Alvarez briefed Tan on the progress of
the negotiations. He threatened to resign as negotiator if the
victims’ families continue to talk directly with the Abu Sayyaf
for the safe release of the hostages.
“There should only be one negotiator, and we
cannot continue talking to the kidnappers if other people are also
negotiating. So if this continues, I will resign as negotiator and
leave everything to them,” the mayor said.
Military tanks and trucks transporting
government soldiers were seen also on Monday in Jolo town, Sulu’s
capital.
Military offensive
On Sunday, soldiers shelled the hinterlands of
Sulu and the military said it targeted the group of Sahiron and a
leader of the Jemaah Islamiah, Umar Patek.
In Manila, military spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto
Torres said the mortar shelling was part of a separate operation
against the Abu Sayyaf and was not related to the kidnapping.
“There is no military operation being directed
for the purpose of rescuing Ces Drilon,” Torres said.
Also in Manila, police Supt. Sukarno Ikbala said
the police had identified the two Abu Sayyaf ringleaders behind the
kidnapping as Sulayman Patta and another man only known as Walid. A
reward of P500,000 (about $11,240) was being offered for the arrest
of either one, he added.
According to Ikbala, the Interior department is
offering a P1-million reward for those who could provide vital
information leading to the capture of the kidnappers of the Drilon
group.
At least five persons were wounded in the
shelling and more than a thousand villagers fled their homes in
Indanan town for fear they would be hit by the apparently
indiscriminate attack on the Abu Sayyaf.
Philippine authorities linked the Abu Sayyaf to
both the al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiah, blamed for the spate of
terrorism in southern Philippines. The demand for huge ransom has
already lured many recruits to join the group holding the hostages.
Isnaji Alvarez admitted to have paid a few
hundred thousand pesos to the kidnappers with some of the money
coming from Sulu Deputy Gov. Nur Ana Sahidulla for the release of
Valderama on top of ransom allegedly paid by private negotiators in
Manila.
Sahidulla is helping Isnaji Alvarez secure the
freedom of the remaining hostages. She appealed to the kidnappers to
free Drilon’s group.
US troops are deployed in Sulu province since
2006 and assisting Philippine forces defeat the Abu Sayyaf.
-- With Angelo S. Samonte, Maricel C. Cruz and AFP
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