Hostages Released in the Philippines

ANCHOR:
Islamic militants have released two Philippine journalists and their guide. They were held for more than a week on a remote southern island by the group.


STORY:
The Abu Sayyaf group released Ces Drilon, one of the country's best known television journalists, cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion and a professor,Octavio Dinampo, who was acting as their guide when they were abducted on June
8.

Another cameraman, Angelo Valderama, who was kidnapped with the group,was released last week.

Drilon, Encarnacion and Dinampo were released before midnight on Tuesday on Jolo, an island around 950 km south of Manila.

[Ces Drilon, Reporter]:
"Hi. I want to thank everybody. Words are not enough to thank those who prayed for the professor and Jimmy and Angel and myself. That's all I can say."

The Abu Sayyaf, which is infamous for beheading some of its victims,had demanded a 15 million pesos equalling over US $300,000 in ransom. But police say that no money changed hands.

[Leopoldo Bataoil, Philippine National Police Spokesman]:
"As far as the police is concerned, we're not aware of any ransom paid by anyone."

A local senator who took part in the negotiations for their release told local radio the captors had threatened to decapitate Encarnacion.

Philippine police have offered a 500 thousand peso bounty for each of the two Abu Sayyaf leaders allegedly responsible for the kidnapping while troops have been placed on stand by on Jolo island.

The 300-member Abu Sayyaf relies on kidnap for ransom schemes to fund its operations. It has made Jolo island a no-man's land for foreigners due to its reputation for kidnapping and decapitating its captives.

In 2000, the group held about 20 people, mostly Western tourists and Malaysian resort workers from nearby Sipadan island for about three months and freed them after more than $10 million was paid for their release.

A year later, three Americans and more than a dozen Filipino tourists and resort workers were taken from the western island of Palawan. Two of the Americans were killed, including one who was beheaded. The rest of the hostages were freed after ransom.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• ntd
• hostage
• philippine
• islamic
• militants
• journalist
• Ces
• Drilon
• abduction

[FiIipinoUnggoy]

@izzylaura3000 im pretty sure Lapu Lapu was a loser muslim who failed to fight against the spanish

[PHMasterBand]

@VJ5611313 fuck you

[izzylaura3000]

Loser muslims are just lazy, asking for money they never worked for, and all they want are those virgins in their version of heaven. Delusional and moronic. That's what they are. period.

[Flipsify]

Muslims who condone this acts of terrorism can easily become terrorist themselves...it's a desperate way to fulfill the Jihad..and get rewarded with virgins as promised in the Quran

[mrpieces20]

JOE,PINAKAEVIL NA SI GMA..TRAIDOR.

[mrpieces20]

GMA DAPAT PUTULAN NG ULO NG ABU.

[mrpieces20]

ABU SAYAF BAT DI SI GMA DUKUTIN NYO.

[joe69rocket]

why are so many muslim groups so evil?

[briantexan1]

gloria is a joke , absolutely weak leader

[jockeyhanes]

tol grabe ka, saludo ako sayo' oonga bakit nga ba tol? bakit napaka inutil nila, at bakit takot sila sa mga grupo na ito? dahil ba hati sila? tol nakakainis na talaga! daming inosenting buhay ang nasayang, at ano ba ang kasalanan sa mga dayuhan na yan? pumunta sila dyan at high risk to help these people...napaka iliterate naman tol!