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Wednesday, August 20, 2003
3 hostages escape from kidnappers
By Edwin G. Espejo
GENERAL SANTOS -- Three female hostages escaped from their abductors during a gun battle Monday noon between their abductors and pursuing policemen and government soldiers in Sitio Puago, Barangay Datu Dani in Kiamba, Sarangani.
The kidnap victims said they had to negotiate the thickly vegetated mountains of Sitio Puago for three hours before reaching the national highway at dusk.
From there, they hitched a ride with a softdrink delivery panel on its way to the house of their friend in the Kiamba town center.
They immediately informed the police and the military of their ordeal in the hands of at least 15 unidentified kidnappers.
One of the hostages, 27-year-old Imelda Gravino said three men passengers of a jeepney she and her friends were riding in announced a hold-up shortly after leaving the town center and ordered the driver to divert the vehicle to Sitio Palaypay in Barangay Datu Dani.
There, Gravino and her friends, along with six other passengers and the driver, were ordered to alight from the vehicle and were divested of their cash and other valuables.
Gravino and her friends Mary Ann Sassana and Jennifer Guira were, however, taken as hostages by the unidentified men who were armed with handguns.
They were made to walk for several hours and, upon reaching a thickly vegetated area, were met by at least 12 other unidentified armed men.
Shortly after lunchtime Monday, however, the hostage victims said they heard several gunshots and saw their abductors fleeing in different directions. They were able to escape in the confusion.
Not Sayyafs
Maj. Dencio Antonio, commanding officer of the Army's 7th Special Forces Battalion, said combined elements of the military, the police and the local government unit personnel headed by Kiamba Mayor Raul Martinez immediately launched hot pursuit operations after receiving a report of the incident.
Around 12:30 p.m., two companies from the 7th Special Forces Battalion saw one of the suspects who ran away when he saw the approaching soldiers.
First Lt. Joel Deuda, leader of one of the teams sent to track down the suspects, said they fired several warning shots into the air but the suspect managed to disappear in the thick vegetation.
None of the abductors were, however, captured during the military operation.
Upon learning that the hostages had managed to escape, the soldiers were ordered to pull out from the area. Left behind were some units tasked to undertake the mopping up operations.
Both Mayor Martinez and Major Antonio claimed the kidnappers were plain criminal elements operating in the town and denied the armed men were Abu Sayyafs as earlier reported.
"There is no Abu Sayyaf in our place," Mayor Martinez said.
He said except for some isolated criminal activities, Kiamba is still a safe place.
Major Antonio also said the incident is not in any way connected with the reported landing of at least 55 fully armed members of the Abu Sayyaf in Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat early last month.
Thankful
Hostages Gravino and her companions said they were thankful to police and the military for immediately responding to the incident.
They also expressed their gratitude to Mayor Martinez and Sarangani Gov. Miguel Escobar for mobilizing the police and military that led to their successful escape.
Gravino, who showed reporters bruises all over her body, told reporters the armed men spoke in fluent Visayan and Tagalog.
All three victims said they pleaded with their abductors not to harm them.
Upon orders of their abductors, she added, they wrote a letter to their parents and asked them to pay the kidnappers P1 million as ransom for their release.
Gravino added the victims might have mistaken them as members of a rich family.
Except for the bruises and body pains, all three hostages said they were treated very well by the suspects and were not bodily harmed.
Police in Sarangani said they held a certain Rudy Baroto for questioning on suspicion that he was among those who planned the abduction.
Baroto, a fisherman, was picked up by police authorities inside his residence in Barangay Tambiling 10:30 p.m. Monday and was brought to the Kiamba police office. He denied any involvement in the incident. Sun.Star General Santos
(August 20, 2003 issue)
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