MANILA -- The military reported Saturday fresh sightings of the Red Cross worker still being held captive by Abu Sayyaf bandits in Sulu province.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs officer Romeo Brawner Jr. said Italian Eugenio Vagni of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was sighted by civilians recently.

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“We had sightings. We cannot say even the general area but we have sightings. When we say sightings, it’s not necessarily by the military but by civilians and informers,” Brawner said.

He said the military is still depending on the intelligence reports, adding that there is proof of life because of Vagni’s telephone call to his wife last May 16.

Vagni, who is believed to be suffering from hernia and needs immediate surgery, called his wife last May 16 and reportedly received fresh supplies from his ICRC colleagues.

Alain Aeschlimann, ICRC operations head for East Asia, South-East Asia and the Pacific, earlier confirmed the call, saying it’s a positive news.

Aeschlimann, however, said a phone call is not enough as it could not take away the pain of Vagni being separated from his family. He appealed to all those involved in the Sulu hostage crisis not to compromise the safety of the remaining captive.

The local crisis management committee headed by Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan has authorized security forces to rescue Vagni over a month ago if there was a chance, citing the hostage’s deteriorating health condition.

Vagni and two fellow ICRC workers -- Swiss Andreas Notter and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba -- were snatched by the Abu Sayyaf bandits on January 15 in Patikul town, Sulu.

Lacaba was freed last April 2, while Notter managed to escape from his captors and recovered by government troops last April 18.

On Saturday, Brawner would not say how many times Vagni was sighted.

“We can’t say... The thing is we have proof of life, there are sightings and our operations are continuous,” he said.

Brawner added the military cannot immediately effect a rescue operation, saying indiscriminate actions may compromise the safety of the hostage.

“The operations should be precise because of his (Vagni) condition,” he said. (VR/Sunnex)