The military on Monday said it is hell-bent on rescuing all the remaining hostages of the Abu Sayyaf Group based in Sulu amid news that the employer of the 10 Indonesian sailors paid P50 million for their safe release on May 1.
Military spokesman Brigadier General Restituto Padilla insisted the military was not aware of any ransom payment made by the Indonesian tugboat owner, saying that the state troopers are focused on freeing the kidnap victims.
“The [military] has been fully focused on the conduct of military operations in the area for the past couple of weeks. We have devoted full attention to the rescue of the victims and the decimation of the kidnap-for-ransom groups in the island. We are not aware of any ransom payments or negotiations to that effect. We are not also aware of the actual circumstances for their release,” Padilla said.
The 10 Indonesians whom the ASG abducted recently off Tawi-Tawi were dropped off by unknown men Saturday night in front of the residence of Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan II.
Padilla said they expect concrete results from the ongoing military operations to rescue the kidnap victims.
“We do believe that the ongoing operations we have launched since the other week have a profound effect on the ability of these groups to conduct their activities at will. We assessed that we have made their world smaller and in due time we will come to a decisive engagement to force them to release the remaining hostages they current hold,” Padilla said.
He also reiterated the government’s no ransom policy and the military will adhere to it.
“We want to end this series of criminal acts. The payment of ransom, besides being against the government’s policy, will only encourage further activities of the same nature,” he explained.
With the release of the 10 Indonesians, the ASG has more 10 kidnap victims left, some of them foreigners.
On April 25, the ASG made true their threat to behead one of the four hostages they abducted last year from the Island Garden City of Samal after relatives failed to deliver ransom money.
The head of 68-year-old John Ridsdel, a Canadian citizen, was stuffed inside a sack that was thrown by two motorcycle-riding men in front of the municipal hall of Jolo town. His body was later found by several Jolo residents.