DAVAO CITY – Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said the three foreign nationals and a Filipina taken by armed men from a marina in the Island Garden City of Samal in Davao del Norte were brought to Sulu by their abductors.
“They are already in Sulu. All sources indicate and all these information were consistent that they are in Sulu,” Duterte said in his Sunday television show “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa.”
This as a high-ranking leader of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) disclosed that their assets in the province of Sulu was able to monitor the arrival a “Jungkong” boat, which is a motorized boat without outriggers, in Sulu.
The MNLF source, who asked not to be named for lack of authority to speak on the matter, told the Inquirer that the vessel carrying the armed men and their victims landed in a shoreline in the town of Talipao late Saturday evening.
The group was reportedly led by a certain Makmud Askali, who has links with the Abu Sayyaf group, the source said.
It is, however, unclear if the group’s leader is related to Haik Askali alias Abu Aswad, who is a nephew of top Abu Sayyaf leader Radulan Sahiron.
Abu Aswad was arrested by the police in Jolo town on December 25, 2013 for his alleged role in the kidnapping of birdwatchers 52-year-old Dutch national Elwold Horn, 47-year-old Swiss national Lorenzo Vinciguerra and their Filipino guide Ivan Sarenas in 2012. Both European birdwatchers are still being held by the Abu Sayyaf while Sarenas was able to escape from the captors.
Authorities, most especially the Special Investigation Task Group Oceanview Resort, which was created to focus on rescuing the victims, are still mum on the progress of the search operations and on the identities of the perpetrators.
“We have received initial information about their identities but we can’t divulge their identities yet,” said task group head Senior Supt. Federico Dulay.
Earlier, the Western Mindanao Command said naval and military assets were immediately mobilized to monitor the areas of Basilan and Sulu for any possible movements.
Authorities said the kidnappers have not communicated any demand in exchange for the safe release of the victims.
“Whatever their objective is, there is still no ransom demand. We will not know until such time they will communicate with the authorities or maybe with the owner of the resort of the families of the victims,” Duterte said.
Duterte said that the information that the victims were brought to Sulu is already a confirmation that the group is somehow connected with the Abu Sayyaf.
The tough-talking mayor, who on Friday offered himself in exchange for the victims, said he has already sent a message to the suspected perpetrators so that the safe release can be immediately negotiated.
“I already sent a message asking if I can go there to get the victims back,” Duterte said.
Duterte also appealed to the kidnappers to be rational in the ransom demand, and that they should not demand too much for the release of the victims.
“And do not detain them too long if your plan is to release them. Why would you let it stretch for a year? The military will again launch an operation there and it will only create chaos,” Duterte said.
Duterte also brushed off speculations that the incident was meant to discredit his efforts to make Davao City and the entire Davao region safe as the head of the Regional Peace and Order Council.
“I do not see any reason for someone to do that to me,” Duterte said.
In Zamboanga City, Brig. Gen. Allan Arrojado, commander of Joint Task Group Sulu, said there were “no basis, no validation” of the information that the victims were brought to Sulu.
“Plain speculation unless we get solid proof from reliable sources,” Arrojado told the Inquirer by phone on Sunday.
He explained that military does not easily act and confirm reports with single source, “we need at least three to four confirmatory reports then we will start validating.”
“Information is like wildfire here. If indeed they are here, people will start talking. So far, we haven’t heard of such,” Arrojado said.
On Sunday morning, Habib Hashim Mudjahab, chair of the MNLF’s Islamic Command Council, admitted to the Inquirer that former Presidential Assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza has sent him text messages seeking help to locate Canadian nationals John Ridsel and Robert Hall, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad and Filipina Tess Flor.
The four victims were taken from the Holiday Oceanview marina on Monday.
Dureza is a known friend of Ridsel, a former executive of a mining firm.
“Secretary Dureza wanted us to determine if the hostages were really brought to Talipao, Sulu, by this commander Makmud Askali. If that is true, then this Askali, as far as we know, is an Abu Sayyaf,” Mudjahab said.
Mudjahab added that Talipao is also near the area where fugitive MNLF founder and chair Nur Misuari is staying.
“If Misuari is aware of this, he can help in the peaceful release of the hostages,” Mudjahab said.
But Mudjahab said Dureza also did not have confirmation. “He is also asking and seeking our help. What we are doing now is reaching out to our ground contacts to validate the report,” Mudjahab added.