Basilan boy, 9, freed after 2 months in captivity

ZAMBOANGA CITY , Philippines  – A nine-year-old boy who was kidnapped last Jan. 31 was freed reportedly without ransom late Wednesday on an island off Tuburan town in Basilan, a local official said.

Lamitan City Mayor Roderick Furigay said the boy was released on Capagu Island at around 4 p.m. the other day following negotiations by a local emissary.

The boy was transported to the Lamitan pier where he was turned over to Furigay and got reunited with his mother.

Furigay said no ransom was paid in exchange for the boy’s release, but admitted that P30,000 was shelled out for “operational expenses” in retrieving the child.

Two armed men seized the boy last Jan. 31 as his mother asked him to buy vinegar from a nearby store.

Furigay said Marines conducted a debriefing for the boy, who was later brought to the military hospital here for medical treatment and trauma counseling.

With the boy’s release, five more hostages remain under captivity in Basilan – teachers Janette de los Reyes, Rafael Mayonado and Freires Quizon who were abducted last Jan. 23 on an island off Zamboanga City; Sri Lankan peace worker Umar Jaleel who was kidnapped on Feb. 13 in Lamitan; and micro-finance employee Lea Patris who was seized on Feb. 3 in Sumisip town.