Escaped captive wants to stay for Europeans

ZAMBOANGA CITY—An escaped Filipino captive won’t leave the country’s southernmost province where he and two Europeans had been kidnapped, saying he wanted to stay until the Europeans have been released.

“I am not going to leave Tawi-Tawi until I see my colleagues free and safe,” said Ivan Sarenas, a Filipino bird-watching expert who swam to freedom after he and Ewold Horn, a Dutch national, and Lorenzo Vinciguerra, a Swiss, were kidnapped by gunmen at sea in Tawi-Tawi.

Sarenas, a native of Davao City, said he would join the search for Horn, 52, and Vinciguerra, 47, if he was allowed.

“I remember how they looked like so I can probably help,” he said.

Sarenas, Horn and Vinciguerra were heading for Bongao from Panglima Sugala town on Tuesday after spending 14 days there watching and documenting Tawi-Tawi’s rare bird species.

Gunmen stopped them at sea and forced them into another boat. A police officer who was not in uniform and a village councilor who were with the three were told to jump into the sea with the boatman.

Sarenas found a chance to escape and swam to Languyan Island where he was found by a group of fishermen.

“My conscience cannot allow that I leave this place and return to my normal activities while my friends are being held in captivity,” he said.

Sarenas said he believed that the kidnappers and the European victims are still in Tawi-Tawi.

Chief Supt. Felicisimo Khu, chief of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations in Western Mindanao, said authorities, too, believed they were still in the province.

“They cannot cross to Sulu because of the tight security and naval blockade,” said Khu.

Von Al Haq, spokesperson for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said guerrillas were told to help in the search. Julie Alipala with a report from Jeoffrey Maitem, Inquirer Mindanao