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Monday, July 07, 2008
Basilan power firm given ultimatum to raise ransom
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The Abu Sayyaf group holding captive four Basilan Electric Cooperative (Baselco) employees has given the firm until Tuesday to meet its ransom demands.
Failure to do so will force the rebels to increase the ransom. They have also threatened to kill the hostages.
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The final conditions were sent through a text message to Baselco General Manager Alfredo Oyao during the Crisis Management Committee (CMC) meeting last Friday.
An informant said the Abu Sayyaf stated in its text message that Baselco has until Tuesday to produce the P1-million ransom or it will be increased to P10 million by Wednesday.
Still being held captive are Emilberto Singson, Alberto Singson, Paul Herwig and Ian Herwig, all assigned at the engineering department of Baselco.
The Singsons and Herwigs, along with Ronnie Tansiung, were working last June 26 in Barangay Sinulatan, Tuburan, Basilan when abducted by the bandits. Tansiung was freed on the same day.
The Abu Sayyaf bandits warned they would sacrifice one of the four hostages once Baselco fails to meet their demands, the informant said.
It was not, however, clear as to when the 10-man kidnap group led by Nur Hassan Jamiri would start sacrificing the hostages.
The bandits have also rejected the proposal that Vice Governor Alrashid Sakalahalul will negotiate for the release of the hostages since he is the CMC chairman.
Six of the 10 members of the group don't favor Sakalahul, who is a former military man and erstwhile actor, to serve as the negotiator.
The six members are also not amenable to the P1-million ransom demand. They wanted a higher price.
The CMC has designated Masid Yacub, Baselco director for Tuburan town, and Nidjal Indahid, director for Tipo-Tipo municipality to stand as negotiators in seeking the safe release of the hostages.
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) Police Director Joel Goltiao earlier said they are giving a free hand to Baselco and the negotiators to convince the bandits to free the captives.
Oyao said they would stick to the no-ransom policy of the government in seeking the safe release of the hostages from the hands of the Abu Sayyaf bandits. (Bong P. Garcia/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Manila. (July 7, 2008 issue)
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