Wife of kidnapped Aussie unaware of talks to free husband

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—The Filipino wife of kidnapped Australian Warren Richard Rodwell complained Wednesday that she was being kept in the dark about negotiations for the release of her husband.

Miraflor Gutang, 27, said she was getting desperate because her husband’s captors had not contacted her since he was snatched from their home in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay, on Dec. 4.

“I was always waiting for call or text message from him or from his captors. Every time the phone rings, I would get excited at the thought that maybe it is him or his captors,” Miraflor told the Inquirer by phone.

But then, Miraflor said, she learned that the captors phoned Zamboanga Sibugay Gov. Rommel Jalosjos late last week. “But no one contacted me to relay this news,” she said.

Miraflor said what was worse  was that Jalosjos announced he got a call from the captors during the meeting of the crisis management committee on Friday, but “they never told me about it.”

Jalosjos did not answer queries sent to him by text messages on the supposed call.

But a member of the provincial crisis management council confirmed that Jalosjos received the call on Thursday. The source, who requested anonymity for lack of authority, said the executive made the announcement at the CMC meeting on Friday.

“He said there was no demand and that the kidnappers would like to directly negotiate with him,” the source said, adding that the call was traced to Basilan.

“It was also discovered during tracing that there were text messages sent to that number coming from Ipil. It indicated that whoever took Rodwell have contacts in Ipil,” he said.