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Sunday, November 09, 2008
Basilan kidnappers free nurse
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The Basilan-based kidnappers believed to have ties with the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf bandits have freed one of their hostages following an additional payment of P200,000 as "board and lodging" fee.
Preciosa Feliciano, 24, a nurse of the privately owned Ciudad Medical Zamboanga, was freed around 9:45 p.m. Friday in the village of Limbo Kassah in Tipo-Tipo town, exactly four months after she was kidnapped.
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Feliciano was seized in the evening of July 7 and brought to the hinterlands of Basilan province.
Feliciano's father, Fernando, told reporters Saturday that they paid an additional P200,000 to the Basilan-based kidnappers for his daughter's freedom.
In a press conference Friday, Feliciano's brother, Ben Fernando, revealed they had earlier paid a ransom of P1.5 million and gave the kidnappers an M-16 Armalite rifle and a motorcycle.
Feliciano was fetched by her father and mother, Edelmira, and Basilan Crisis Management Committee head Vice-Governor Alrashid Sakalahul Friday evening from the village of Limbo Kassah, Tipo-Tipo.
After staying overnight in Basilan, they arrived around 10 a.m. Saturday and were met by relatives at the Majini pier of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao (Navforwem) in Zamboanga City.
Feliciano, who appears to have lost weight, has undergone a medical check-up administered by the personnel of Camp Navarro General Hospital. She looked frail but was happy about her release.
In spite of Feliciano's release, the kidnappers still hold two hostages in the hinterlands of Basilan province.
They are Manila-based development non-government organization (NGO) professional Merlie Mendoza and Ateneo de Zamboanga University (ADZU) nursing student Joed Pilanga.
Mendoza was kidnapped last September 15, together with Nagdilaab Foundation Inc. (NFI) Program Director Esperancita Hupida in the village of Cabangalan, Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan. Pilanga was snatched last October 17 in Zamboanga City.
The kidnappers freed Hupida in the morning of October 30 after payment of ransom. The NFI has refused to reveal the amount and only said it paid a "reasonable amount" to the captors.
Mirali Mendoza-Durr said the kidnappers have demanded a $1.5 million ransom in exchange for the release of Mendoza.
Pilanga's mother, Edna, whose husband is jobless, said the kidnappers have asked them to pay P20 million in exchange for the release of her son.
The families of the kidnap victims have bonded together, along with other sectors, in calling President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to put an end to the kidnapping cycle in Mindanao. (Bong Garcia/Sunnex)
(November 9, 2008 issue)
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