Last of 20 MILF hostages freed in Midsayap

COTABATO CITY — The last of the 20 fishermen seized by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in Midsayap, Cotabato province last week was released at dawn Sunday without any ransom.

Superintendent Chino Mamburam, Midsayap police chief, said the rebels freed Tio Salendab, 40, after he convinced them that his family could not afford the M-16 rifle which they demanded for his freedom.

Relatives of Tio have relayed to Commander Samal Masgal that they could not raise the money to buy an M-16 rifle, he added.

Mamburam said Masgal’s men snatched Tio and his 19 companions in Barangay Mudseng, Midsayap while about to fish at the nearby Liguasan Marsh last Thursday.

Tio’s companions were released after several hours of captivity, he added.

Tio told investigators Masgal’s band used him as "shield" to forestall any military attempt to pursue them.

Eid Kabalu, MILF spokesman, said Masgal has long been dropped from the MILF’s rolls for committing heinous offenses.

However, barangay officials in Midsayap said Masgal has been operating in the municipality wearing a uniform bearing the MILF insignia.

Tio was reunited with his family yesterday, following tactical debriefing by police investigators after his three-day captivity.

Meanwhile, suspected MILF rebels sprayed with assault rifle fire a house in a remote barangay in Carmen, Cotabato province the other night, killing a couple and their 16-year-old son.

Chief Inspector Reynante Cabico, Carmen police chief, said spouses Manuel and Marina Osorio, and their son Raymond were about to have dinner when the gunmen surrounded their house in Barangay Liliongan and, without warning, opened fire with assault rifles.

Raymond, who sustained a gunshot wound in his chest, managed to jump out of their house and run, but later died in a nearby cornfield.

Cabico said barangay officials pointed to MILF rebels led by Commander Tugal Kadil as the killers.

Police investigators recovered spent shells of M14 and M16 rifle cartridges from the scene, he added.

The MILF rebels could have perpetrated the attack because Osorio refused to pay "revolutionary taxes," Cabico said.