Abu Sayyaf bandits demand P1 billion for 3 foreigners, Filipina captives

From the Business Mirror (Feb 12): Abu Sayyaf bandits demand P1 billion for 3 foreigners, Filipina captives

ABU Sayyaf bandits are demanding P1 billion for the release of three foreigners and the Filipino woman they kidnapped in September last year.

Senior Supt. Roberto Fajardo, National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG) commander, said the victims were abducted on Samal Island, Davao del Norte.

Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad and Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, and Hall’s Filipino girlfriend Maritess Flor were still being held by the bandits in a still-undisclosed area in Sulu.

“They [victims] are still with the Abu Sayyaf. The problem is the Abu Sayyaf has no ideology and they are asking for money, which is very impossible, really, P1 billion; so that is the problem,” Fajardo said during the anniversary of the AKG on Friday.

Fajardo also disclosed that the leader of a kidnap-for-ransom group, who is already held at the maximum-security compound in the New Bilibid Prison, appeared to have not abandoned his criminal activity, as he was even involved in the negotiations of one incident.

“What is bad is, there was even a kidnapper who is negotiating, although he was already behind bars;, he is at Bilibid,” Fajardo said, refusing to identify the kidnap leader or even his group, or even the particular incident.

“We have a good coordination with the director of the Bilibid, but despite that, the kidnappers’ operations inside the prison were continuing,” he said.

Fajardo said kidnapping cases in the country have already declined, principally because kidnap victims were already cooperating with authorities.

He said that before, victims were afraid to seek the assistance of the police and even refuse to cooperate in the filing of their cases, thus, emboldening kidnap-for-ransom groups to keep on with their activity.

“The cases have gone down, because the victims themselves are already cooperating,” Fajardo said.
Still, the AKG listed six kidnapping cases, but Fajardo said most of these cases were recorded in Mindanao, with the ASG being the most prominent kidnapping group, holding at least eight victims.

Teresita Ang See, founding chairman of the Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order, agreed that the country has seen the decline of kidnap-for-ransom cases.

“There was really a big improvement in the antikidnapping campaign, especially when it comes to the success of manhunt operations, the biggest kidnap-for-ransom group has been neutralized,” she said.

However, Ang See said her group recorded successive cases last month, although the AKG has already investigated them.

“In January we had three cases. One in Metro Manila and two in Tarlac,” she said, adding that last year, they recorded more than 30 kidnapping cases.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/abu-sayyaf-bandits-demand-p1-billion-for-3-foreigners-filipina-captives/