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The Abu Sayyaf faction led by Muhin Abdullah are demanding P10 million for Val Cuenca and his wife Maan Macapagal, a government emissary who visited the kidnappers' jungle hideout told reporters. The couple were held in the village of Upper Kahunayan near the
town of Patikul after they interviewed senior Abu Sayyaf leader Radulan Sajiron for ABS-CBN television, provincial police director Sajiron had denied that his men kidnapped the two and blamed bandits. "I have directed the police chief of Talipao (town) and Patikul to ask the local officials there to help negotiate the release of the two," Casimiro said, adding that he also sought the assistance of Muslim religious leaders of Jolo. At least three Abu Sayyaf factions already hold 31 hostages on Jolo island, including three Malaysians, two Filipinos, two Finns, a French couple, A German father and son, a South African couple and a Lebanese they snatched from the Malaysian resort of Sipadan on April 23. The gunmen, self-styled Muslim independence fighters, are said to have raised $4 million from six Malaysians and a German woman they have freed from the Sipadan group. Three Filipinos seized from Basilan have also been freed. The gunmen have since abducted a three-member French television crew, a German reporter, and 13 Filipino Christian preachers. Government negotiators said the kidnappers were supposed to free
the remaining Malaysians on July 24, but the plan has hit an unknown snag and an emissary has been dispatched to the jungle Sources close to the negotiations said the kidnappers were holding out for additional cash of up to $1.36 million. Government emissaries, meanwhile, want the two Filipino resort workers released alongside the Malaysians, but the Abu Sayyaf has rejected the proposal, the sources added. The hostage crisis entered its fourth month this week after a flurry of releases last week led to expectations that a resolution was in sight. But intelligence sources later warned that the Abu Sayyaf was using the ransom money to procure more firepower, indicating that they are prepared to hold out longer. Meanwhile, suspected Abu Sayyaf members hurled a grenade at a Roman Catholic church here, injuring a man, police said. The grenade landed by a pile of bamboo poles used as scaffolding for Jolo cathedral, which is under repair. One driver sustained shrapnel injuries to the face. Asked if the Abu Sayyaf was involved in the grenade attack, Chief Insp. Mohamad Noe Alamia said: "It's possible. They are the ones who cause trouble." The attack was meant "to divert the attention of the officials from the case of the hostages," Alamia told reporters. (SNS) REQUEST FOR A COMPLIMENTARY COPY Refresh
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