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Saturday, July 21, 2007
Priest survived on salt, ‘buwad’
MANILA -- Westen Mindanao Regional Police Director Jaime Caringal said that Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi, who had been released by his captors Thursday night in Lanao del Norte, was not given much food by his kidnappers.
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Caringal said Bossi, 57, significantly lost weight when recovered by elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Western Mindanao along a highway in Karumatan town at 9 p.m. Thursday.
“Maybe they (kidnappers) can’t feed him already,” said Caringal of Bossi, who he said appeared “tired and hungry.” Bossi was brought to the headquarters of PNP-Western Mindanao at Camp Kawa-Kawa in Zamboanga City.
Bossi was snatched by the group of Commander Khidi at a remote village in Payao town on June 10.
Caringal said personnel from the Italian Embassy and Bossi’s fellow priests visited the clergyman at the police camp where Bossi was taken to by the police after his recovery.
Bossi thanked everyone that helped in securing his release adding that he never once experience any sense of hopelessness while in captivity. He said he remembered his friends who had been abducted before and were released afterwards, which he had prayed would end similarly for him.
Aside from Bossi, Italian priests Fr. Luciano Benedetti and Fr. Guiseppi Pierrantoni who were involved in missions in Mindanao were abducted in 1998 and 2001, respectively.
Bossi said he felt that he lost about 30 to 40 pounds while in captivity aside from losing his habit of smoking. He said aside from a limited food or rice and salt or sometimes dried fish, they were constantly walking and going up the mountains so he had to quit smoking to save energy and breath.
“We changed hiding places sometimes, walking up mountains and crossing fields but we never strayed from there,” said the priest, who lost around 15 pounds after being given only salted fish and rice to eat.
“I had a problem with the food,” he said. “That’s the reason why I (lost) a lot of weight. But never mind, I will have a chance to increase my weight again.”
He added that he was also happy because he finally got the chance to talk to his friends and his family, including his sister and 87-year-old mother, who celebrated her birthday on Thursday.
He said he would be visiting his family in Italy soon, but he hoped to return to Payao in Zamboanga Sibugay first. He said he intends to continue his mission in Payao despite his experience but he has yet to await the decision of his superiors first. (Sunnex/AFP)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (July 21, 2007 issue)
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Fr. Bossi released