1 of 3 kidnapped teachers feared dead

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – One of the three female teachers kidnapped in Naga, Zamboanga Sibugay might have died in captivity, police officials said yesterday.

Senior Superintendent Federico Castro, police commander of Zamboanga Sibugay province, said intelligence reports disclosed that one of the captives, Noemi Mandi, who recently underwent surgery, died because she was not provided with her maintenance medicine.

Mandi, 38; Jocelyn Inion, 39; and Jocelyn Enriquez, 43, all teachers of Bangkaw-Bangkaw Elementary School, were abducted last March 13 on their way home.

Castro said at the time Mandi was abducted, her medicine was only good for that day.

“The report we received is that Noemi, who just recently underwent operation, died,” Castro said, adding they were still verifying the information.

The kidnappers have reportedly reduced their ransom demand from P20 million to P10 million and were believed to have moved their captives to Tipo-Tipo in Basilan.

However, Castro said authorities in Zamboanga Sibugay continued to sweep through all possible drop points because indications are that the kidnappers may not have managed to escape the naval blockade.

Authorities disclosed that the kidnappers of three other teachers abducted last Jan. 23 off Zamboanga City and being held captive in Basilan have also reportedly lowered their ransom to P5 million.

The hostage takers, identified as members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) lost command headed by Usman Lidjal and Mulong Pula, initially demanded P6 million for the release of Janette de los Reyes, Rafael Mayonado, and Freires Quizon, all teachers of Landang Gua in Sacol Island.

Time is running out

Meanwhile, one of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers being held by bandits in Sulu appealed to the government to hasten their release after their captors threatened to behead one of them.

Mary Jean Lacaba, in an interview with ABS-CBN aired late Wednesday, said that “time is running out” for her and her companions.

Lacaba appealed to the government to act quickly to end the 2 1/2-month-old hostage crisis because she and her two ICRC colleagues – Swiss Andreas Notter and Italian Eugenio Vagni – feared for their lives.

Jolo Gov. Abdusakur Tan said the kidnappers told a government emissary that the deadline for the troops to withdraw to Jolo town is March 31, but the military rejected the ultimatum, saying the gunmen cannot be trusted.

AFP chief Gen. Alexander Yano said the bandits had already reneged on an earlier pledge to free a hostage last week after troops complied with their initial demand to move back.

Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad, in the same interview with ABS-CBN television, repeated his earlier promise to free a hostage if troops pull farther back, and threatened to behead one of them if they don’t.

“They know I do what I say,” he said.

But the military doubts the identity of the man who issued the ultimatum because of persistent information that Parad was badly hit in a recent encounter.

Sulu officials also confirmed that an Indian-looking, English-speaking man was working with the group. – With reports from Marvin Sy, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jaime Laude, AP