MILF turns over rescued German, 3 others to AFP

COTABATO CITY – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) turned over to the military yesterday a German national and three Filipinos who were rescued by its forces in Pikit, North Cota-bato after being held captive for eight hours by a local kidnapping syndicate.

The foreigner, Thomas Worllrof, 44, of Cologne, Germany, his Filipina wife, May Sharon Jackson, 29, their driver Diego Daniel and domestic helper, Consuelo San Juan, were abducted by eight men while on their way to Parang, Shariff Kabunsuan to survey “treasure hunting” sites.

The victims were en route to Barangay Batulawan, Pikit town on board a Nissan van to pick up a contact there when they were flagged down by men clad in combat uniforms and dragged at gunpoint to a forest.

Marine Gen. Mohammad Ben Dolorfino, chairman of the government’s Ad-Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), said Worllrof, owner of Borasca Raw Materials International Corp., is engaged in the buy-and-sell of precious metals and stones in Mindanao.

The AJHAG is composed of government and MILF representatives helping the joint ceasefire committee interdict criminals and terrorists in rebel territories in Mindanao.

“It appears they were duped by their contacts, lured into coming to Central Mindanao with a promise they would see the merchandise they need,” Dolorfino said.

Dolorfino said the police and military are still hot on the trail of the kidnappers, seven of them identified as Datukan Samad, Abdul Samad, Tonton Abedin, Akmad Sanggal, Babob Litoh, Jose Ampatu, and Wata Malsek, who were last seen fleeing into a hinterland after abandoning their four captives.

Dolorfino’s MILF counterpart, lawyer Abdul Dataya, said the villagers who witnessed the abduction of Worllrof’s group immediately reported the incident to a local guerrilla commander, who, in turn, informed military and police units nearby.

Dataya said the Army’s 7th Infantry Battalion, led by Col. Dickson Hermoso, managed to promptly establish contact with MILF forces in Barangay Batulawan as they chased the kidnappers.

A group of guerrillas led by Ustadz Moti blocked the escape route of the kidnappers, who were forced to abandon their captives after Moti and his men fired warning shots to prevent them from escaping further.

The MILF central committee turned over Worllrof, his wife and their two companions to the AHJAG at the headquarters here of the Malaysian-led international monitoring team, which is helping oversee the enforcement of the ceasefire.

The team, composed of soldiers and policemen from Malaysia, Brunei and Libya and a rehabilitation expert from Japan, has been monitoring the ceasefire between the military and the MILF since 2003.

“The rescue of the kidnap victims is a classic example of how different stakeholders in the peace process can mutually cooperate in addressing security problems in areas covered by the ceasefire,” said Malaysian Army Gen. Ismail Khan, who heads the international team.

Worllrof said he is fine and that he had been advised by the German embassy to return to Manila.

“Everything is fine. I thank the guerrillas, the soldiers and policemen who rescued us. It was a scary experience,” he said.