ZAMBOANGA CITY ? The kidnappers of Irish priest Fr. Michael Sinnott have made contact with his Columban superiors in Pagadian City.

The phone call, made Thursday by an emissary of the kidnappers, was monitored by the interagency body tasked to secure the priest?s release, according to Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, the chief of the Western Mindanao Command.

?The call indicated that Sinnott is in Lanao del Norte, very close to [the town of] Sultan Naga Dimaporo. The call was traced from that province, and the trace was made by Task Force Sinnott,? Dolorfino said without elaborating.

He added that from the information relayed to him, the kidnappers wanted to take Sinnott to Cotabato City but that ?their ultimate planned destination is Basilan.?

Dolorfino said the kidnappers might have gotten hold of one of the flyers distributed by authorities. The flyers contain the numbers to be contacted for information that could help in the delivery of medicine to the priest, who has a heart ailment and needs daily medication.

Sinnott, 79, was abducted by six gunmen on Sunday from the compound of the Missionary Society of Saint Columban in Pagadian.

Task Force Sinnott has issued sketches of three of the six kidnappers.

Four of the six have been identified, Dolorfino said.

?But we cannot divulge their names. The only thing I can [say] now is that two of them are MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) rebels based in Lanao del Sur,? he said.

Servant of the people

In Dublin on Wednesday, Irish bishops and politicians called for Sinnott?s release, saying he needed immediate medical attention.

?I plead with those who have influence to expedite the release of this true servant of the people,? said Bishop Colm O?Reilly, who chairs the Bishops? Commission for Overseas Missions in Ireland.

?Father Sinnott?s courage and generosity in returning to active missionary service following major [heart] surgery, and already close to 80 years of age, has touched the hearts of Irish people as well as the many people to whom he ministers,? O?Reilly said.

In Parliament, the opposition Labor foreign affairs spokesperson Michael D. Higgins said ?everybody in Ireland? was affected by the kidnapping of Sinnott.

?Anything visited upon him is visited upon everyone in Ireland,? Higgins said. ?We want him released and to have immediate access to the medical support that he requires.?

In poor health

Dolorfino said the military was able to validate the call through ?inside sources? in the MILF?s 4th Infantry Brigade.

The brigade is led by Commander Jamat Latip to whom, both Dolorfino and Chief Supt. Angelo Sunglao claimed on Wednesday, Sinnott was turned over by his kidnappers.

Dolorfino said the military trusted these sources who, aside from validating the call, also told him that Sinnott was now quite weak.

?The captive?s health condition is poor, and that is why the kidnappers are having a hard time transferring him to another place,? Dolorfino said.

He said the kidnappers were also hampered by ?the heavy presence of ground troops on the highways and different routes, including the shorelines.?

Zamboanga del Sur Gov. Aurora Cerilles broadcast an appeal to the kidnappers to allow emissaries to bring Sinnott his medication.

?He needs it badly. Father Sinnott is a man of peace and he has been serving the people. At his age, he lacks the physical strength to confront his difficult condition now,? Cerilles said.

Pagadian Bishop Emmanuel Cabajar also called on the kidnappers to free Sinnott so he could continue ministering to children with disabilities.

?Here in Pagadian, he has helped children a lot, [particularly] those who need special attention. Please allow him to continue doing that,? Cabajar said.

Vow to kill abductors

Sunglao, the chief of the Western Mindanao police, said Commander Latip had denied involvement in Sinnot?s abduction and was so incensed at being implicated that he promised to kill the kidnappers.

He said Latip made the denial in a phone call to Lt. Col. Jerry Barrientos, the deputy commander of the Army?s 104th Infantry Brigade.

?Latip is angry at being blamed for the abduction,? Sunglao said. ?He denied the presence of the victim in his camp; he even wants to kill the ones responsible for the kidnapping.?

Sunglao said Latip was also worried about the presence of government troops near his camp, ?but was relieved to learn that we are observing the operational guidelines on the cessation of hostilities.?

?He is willing to submit himself and his command for inspection and to cooperate with the authorities for the safe recovery of Father Sinnott,? Sunglao said, adding that the authorities were hoping that Latip was telling the truth.

Told of Latip?s denial, Dolorfino said: ?If he wants to come clean, he should cooperate with us.

?If he is really sincere, he has to help us and secure Sinnott and turn him over to the authorities.?

Dolorfino also said the military was standing pat on its claim that Sinnott was being held in the MILF?s Camp Wilcom at the boundaries of Picong, Nunungan and Sultan Naga Dimaporo.

Return of firearms

At Camp Aguinaldo, military spokesperson Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. told reporters that at least six Navy ships and gunboats had been patrolling the Moro Gulf and Illana Bay to prevent the kidnappers from taking Sinnott to Basilan or Sulu.

?We are blocking all their possible escape routes,? Brawner said.

He said negotiations for Sinnott?s release had yet to start.

But according to initial information reaching Camp Aguinaldo, the kidnappers are seeking the return of firearms seized from the group as a condition for Sinnott?s release.

Brawner said the military had confiscated a big number of firearms from the group in a raid.

?We have also identified four of the six kidnappers,? Brawner said, confirming that the leader of the group was a pirate. With reports from Ed General, Inquirer Mindanao; Jocelyn R. Uy in Manila; Agence France-Presse