THE BANSIL SISTERS. Linda and Nadjoua Bansil. Photo courtesy of Niño Tan.
Al Arabiya's Jordanian reporter Baker Atyani has been freed, but the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) is still holding at least 17 hostages in Sulu, according to Colonel Jose Cenabre, commander of the 2nd Marine Brigade based in the province.
Eight of them were kidnapped in Sulu but Cenabre said 4 of them willingly joined the bandits. The rest were kidnapped in other provinces and transferred hands to Sulu-based ASG members.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said he and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Manuel "Mar" Roxas II are planning to go to Sulu to convene the peace and order council. He said they will check on the direction of operations against the Abu Sayyaf.
"There are several hostages still with the Abu Sayyaf.... We want to be able to rescue the kidnap victims without jeopardizing their safety," Gazmin said.
"It's
isolated in the island
of Sulu
Cenabre said
names of the hostages cannot be disclosed, although some of them have already
been identified:
- Filipino-Muslim filmmakers 39-year-old Nadjoua Bansil and her 37-year-old sister,
Linda were abducted in June 2013. They worked together to produce
low-budget, independent films showcasing Filipino Muslim life and culture.
Linda also wrote to Amnesty International in the
- Birdwatchers Dutch Ewold Horn, 52, and Swiss
Lorenzo Vinciguerra, 47. They were kidnapped in February 2012 in Tawi-Tawi by rogue members of the
Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who turned them over the Abu Sayyaf.
- Japanese Toshio Ito was kidnapped in July 2010.
Rappler executive
editor Maria Ressa reported on the other hostages in a report published after the release of
Australian Warren Rodwell in March.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/45338-abu-sayyaf-remaining-hostages
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