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TELEVISION network ABS-CBN on Wednesday admitted that
its news crew headed by journalist Ces Oreña Drilon is
being held for ransom in Sulu.
In a
statement, the network giant said Drilon and her crew,
Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama, “have been
kidnapped for ransom.”
The
network immediately ruled out paying ransom for the
three. At the same time, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez
said that the government would not initiate negotiations
for ransom payment just to secure the safe release of
Drilon and her two cameramen.
Gonzalez
also stressed that the abduction of Drilon’s group is
not a huge setback to the antiterrorist campaign
considering that the case is “an isolated one and
authorities are doing their best to secure their safe
release.”
Initial
reports said Drilon and her crew went to Sulu supposedly
to interview Indonesian terrorist Omar Patek, who is
reportedly in the company of Abu Sayyaf commander
Radullan Sahiron.
The
interview was supposedly arranged through a local
contact, peace advocate and Mindanao State University
Prof. Octavio Dinampo, who also acted as the news crew’s
guide.
A day
after their arrival, Drilon and her companions, along
with Dinampo, were snatched in barangay Kulasi, Maimbung
town by an Abu Sayyaf band led by Albader Parad.
Parad is
one of the mid-level Abu Sayyaf leaders involved in the
April 2000 kidnapping of 21 people who include Europeans
in Sipadan, Malaysia.
Reports
said that the bandits, who are holding their captives at
Mount Tumatangis in Indanan town, initially demanded a
P10-million ransom.
ABS-CBN
until Tuesday officially considered Drilon and her team
as “missing” and called on the media to exercise
restraint in reporting the case.
While
confirming the incident as a case of ransom kidnapping,
the network said that it will not pay the kidnappers for
the release of its staff members.
“ABS-CBN
News will abide by its policy not to pay ransom because
this would embolden kidnap-for-ransom groups to abduct
other journalists, putting more lives at risk,” it said.
Military
sources in Sulu said that an aircraft bearing officials
of the television network arrived in the province on
Tuesday night, giving hint that negotiations with
monetary consideration was under way.
The team
reportedly met with the family of a ranking provincial
official.
The
negotiation for the safe release of the victims was
confirmed by Chief Supt. Joel Goaltiao, Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao police commander, who also
said the local police have already established
communication with the captors.
Goltiao
further refused to give details in order not to
jeopardize the ongoing negotiations, but added that the
news crew was being treated fairly.
He said
the negotiation for the release of the victims was being
undertaken by a crisis management committee that was
created by the local government of Sulu.
He said
there is a big possibility the hostages will be released
soon. “We cannot just determine or say the exact date.”
Gov.
Abdusakur Tan of Sulu said he will not agree to the
payment of ransom for the release of Drilon and her
crew, saying the criminal act will just become a source
of livelihood for the kidnappers if ransom were paid.
However,
Tan said that as of the moment, no one is officially
claiming responsibility for the abduction.
Earlier,
the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and
its local affiliate, the National Union of Journalists
in the Philippines (NUJP) issued separate appeals for
the abductors to respect Drilon and her company’s right
to pursue their job as journalists.
“The IFJ
holds grave concerns for the safety of broadcast
journalist Ces Drilon and her media crew after they were
reported missing on Jolo island, Sulu archipelago, in
the Philippines on June 8,” the IFJ said in its
statement.
“Whatever the abductors stand for, whatever their goals
are, there is absolutely no justification for seizing
journalists whose sole concern is to seek out the truth
and present it as accurately as possible,” the NUJP also
said.
The
Mindanao People’s Caucus (MPC) where Dinampo belong also
asked Christian and Muslim leaders to extend any
possible support for the release of the victims.
“Let
this crisis see the strength of our solidarity and
dialogue as brothers and sisters in Mindanao,” it said
in a statement.
MPC said
that Dinampo’s stature in the community as a peace
activist and his wide participation in the
rehabilitation efforts in war-ravaged areas in Sulu,
gave him a lot of room to develop contacts from
civil-society organizations and the foreign donors’
community.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration tightened security
measures and alerted its personnel in all airports and
seaports in
Mindanao following the kidnapping.
The
action was ordered by Immigration Commissioner Marcelino
Libanan in support of President Arroyo’s earlier
directive to the National Police to locate and bring
back safely the kidnap victims.
Immigration officers in Mindanao, particularly in
Zamboanga, and those in Palawan, were ordered to
immediately coordinate and report to the police or any
concerned authorities any sign of Drilon.
Libanan
also ordered the heads of immigration subports in
Mindanao to increase the number of on duty intelligence
officers to ensure close monitoring of people entering
and leaving the seaports and airports. (With Joel
San Juan,
Bong Garcia Jr., Manuel Cayon and Paul Atienza) |
