BUTUAN CITY, Philippines – Armed men identified as former rebel returnees kidnapped 16 people, most of them teachers, at a graduation ceremony in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur early Friday.
Prosperidad Mayor Alvin Magdamit said the teachers and students had just come from graduation rites in Barangay La Purisima when 10 armed men led by a certain Reyjoy Brital forcibly herded and brought them to the mountains.
Most of those kidnapped were teachers, but there were two children aged 10 and 13 in the group, officials said.
Brital allegedly demanded the release of fellow Manobo Ondo Perez and three other tribesmen who are being held at the Agusan del Sur jail on charges of kidnapping and illegal possession of firearms in connection with the December 2009 hostage-taking, in which 47 villagers were held for several days.
Speaking to negotiators by cell phone, Brital threatened “to make a sample” of the hostages if a rescue attempt was launched.
He also urged negotiators to send food for the hostages.
“They should behave because if they continue to come into our area we will make an example out of the hostages,” Brital was heard saying in the local dialect.
Police sharpshooters were deployed around the area where the hostages were held and negotiations were under way.
Senior Inspector Joel Solon Mendez of the Agusan del Sur provincial police said the six gunmen holding the hostages had initially given a 24-hour deadline to release their four fellow tribesmen.
But he said that as of yesterday morning, they appeared to have softened their position on the deadline and demanded that food and water be delivered to them.
Magdamit led government negotiators appealing for the immediate release of the children.
Police identified some of the hostages as Narciso Oliveros, Hipolito Lastimado, Apolonio Alibangbang, Joel Sausa, Manuel Mordeno, Filipina Quitoy, Allan Gallano, Mary Jean Bedrijo, Arnold Quitoy, Pido Dolorito, Gerlie Monticalbo, Maricel Lagnazon, Diosdado Cabantac, and Shen-shen Cabagtag.
Magdamit said the gunmen were Manobo tribesmen who joined the New People’s Army (NPA) before surrendering to the government.
Brital is said to be a nephew of Perez, according to Mendez.
Perez led several tribesmen in taking some 125 people, mostly teachers and school children, in Sitio Maitum, Barangay San Martin, also in Prosperidad in December 2009.
Government negotiators had promised not to arrest Perez if he freed his hostages but police seized him once they were released.
Police said Perez and his men were former government militiamen who turned to banditry.
The latest hostage taking took place seven months after a daylong kidnapping crisis in Manila that ended in bloodshed. After a dismissed policeman took captive a busload of Hong Kong tourists to demand his job back, the Aug. 23 ordeal ended with police and the gunman opening fire, leaving eight hostages and the assailant dead and drawing international criticism to the police operation.
“I don’t think we need to say this anymore, but the safety of the hostages should be the priority,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said yesterday.
Valte said the local crisis management committee involving Magdamit and town officials “hopefully can handle this without anything untoward happening to the victims.” - With Jaime Laude, Edith Regalado, AP