| Abu
hostages freed in 1 week - Robert By Joel R. San Juan and Mirasol Ng-Gadil
ABU Sayyaf
rebels have reportedly agreed to a “global release” of their remaining hostages
in Patikul, Sulu, government chief negotiator Robert Aventajado said yesterday.
Interviewed over
national radio, President Estrada’s flagship adviser claimed Ghalib Andang alias
Commander Robot has expressed willingness “to release all the captives in one batch.”
“Based on the
report of my emissary codenamed Dragon, Commander Robot is willing to negotiate the
hostages’ wholesale release, which was unlike before, when he only wanted the release
of the hostages in batches,” Aventajado said.
But Press
Undersecretary Mike Toledo said the release of the three remaining Malaysian hostages,
might come prior to the “global release.”
“The three
Malaysians will come earlier, hopefully within a couple of days,” Toledo said at a
press briefing.
Right now, Toledo
added, Aventajado was just waiting for the arrival of some Malaysian officials to discuss
the arrangements for the release of their nationals.
Toledo also said
they had received information that evangelist Wilde Almeda and his 12 disciples were
staying voluntarily with the extremist rebels.
He said Commander
Robot had even told Aventajado that they were allowed to go in and out of the camp.
Misuari hit
Meanwhile,
Aventajado criticized Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Governor Nur Misuari for
issuing irresponsible statements about the hostage situation in Sulu.
Misuari was
earlier quoted by mediamen as saying that the Abu Sayyaf has collected enough ransom from
its freed captives to buy military equipment, such as missiles.
“It would be
better if he kept out of this. His interference would only muddle up things,”
Aventajado stressed.
Aventajado
remained firm on the government’s policy not to give ransom money to any kidnapping
group.
“There are
groups who talk to the Abu Sayyaf on their own. But as far as the government is concerned,
we do not pay ransom to anyone,” he said.
Sen. Juan Ponce
Enrile shrugged off reports of ransom payments.
“For as long
as ransom is not paid by the Philippine government it is not my concern. The problem of
the foreign hostages is not the problem of the Philippine government,” he said at a
press conference. “These people are undocumented, they were brought here not by the
official formal action of the government. They were brought here by a criminal element.
Payment of ransom is not our issue here.”
Tan admits ransom
Sulu Gov.
Abdusakur Tan admitted that there was ransom paid for the release of Andreas Lorenz, a
German journalist who was earlier abducted by the Abu Sayyaf.
He denied,
however, having a role in facilitating the payment.
Tan said in a
radio interview that he expressed willingness to help Olap Ilao, Lorenz’ boss, if the
latter would give only P200,000 to the Abu Sayyaf.
But, he said, Ilao
wanted to give a much bigger amount to the Abu Sayyaf for the release of Lorenz, prompting
him to back out of their private negotiations.
“They (German
media executives) went to my house,” he admitted. “When Dr. Ilao approached me,
I told him we will only pay P200,000, but he said to me that was too small.”
“I said then,
if you want to pay, then I will not negotiate,” Tan said.
He added that Ilao
could have contacted other emissaries to deliver the ransom money to the Abu Sayyaf.
Aventajado, on the
other hand, said he did not anymore intervene in the negotiations for the release of the
said German journalist, as the latter was just complicating the situation in Sulu.
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