Philippine prayer warriors stranded on hostage
island
MANILA, Sept 10 (AFP) -
"Give me six good men, and throw in lots of handcuffs," television evangelist
Wilde Almeda dared a baffled Philippine government in May as he pledged through the power
of prayer to free 21 hostages held by Muslim extremist guerrillas
Four months later and against
all odds, 20 of the hostages, including all of the foreigners, are free.
But only the Philippine and
Libyan government negotiators can take the credit.
Jesus Miracle Crusade preacher
Wilde Almeda and 11 of his "prayer warriors" who made an apparently suicidal
visit to the Abu Sayyaf camp to prove that their dare was no idle talk, and that prayer
works, now find themselves as hostages and human shields.
Government negotiators said the
preachers now need the entire nation's prayers to extricate themselves from the bind of
their own making in the remote southern island of Jolo.
Chief government negotiator
Roberto Aventajado on Saturday hailed the release of the last four Western tourists from
the Abu Sayyaf camp but cautioned that the rebels were still holding an American man, two
French journalists, the 12 Filipino preachers and the lone remaining Sipadan hostage,
Filipino Roland Ullah.
"Please continue praying
for the success of our mission," Aventajado implored.
Against the advice of police
and local officials, the preachers bribed their way into the Abu Sayyaf jungle hideout on
July 1, giving the gunmen 3,000 dollars and nearly two tonnes of rice.
The group had pledged to
"pray over" the captives, and then return triumphantly with all the hostages in
tow.
But the gunmen had other ideas.
The military said the Abu
Sayyaf burned the preachers' bibles and other religious materials the evangelists brought
with them.
They were robbed of their
shoes, clothes and bags, and their driver was ordered to return to town to tell the
authorities the group would be staying "for 40 days and 40 nights for fasting,"
said Jolo police chief, Senior Superintendent Candido Casimiro.
One of the preachers was
released in late July, supposedly to raise ransom for his colleagues.
But worse was yet to come when
Almeda suffered a stroke in captivity.
Aventajado said the preacher's
situation was complicated by his refusal to seek medical treatment from the group of Red
Cross and government doctors who made several trips to the Abu Sayyaf lair to treat the
other hostages.
The Christian evangelist, who
buys block time in television to propagate his broadcast ministry, is best remembered for
having declared ahead of the 1998 presidential election that he was "willing to be
shot before a firing squad" if his favored candidate, Jose de Venecia lost.
No one has taken Almeda up on
his offer, including de Venecia's winning rival Joseph Estrada.
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