ZAMBOANGA CITY, 5 December 2005 — Separatist fighters backed by government troops rescued a university professor and his wife yesterday from bandits in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Kidnappers abandoned Prof. Felipe Lucanas and his wife, Helen, on a village in the town of Piagapo, Lanao del Sur province, after learning that Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters and military forces have surrounded their hideout, said Brig. Gen. Mohammad bin Dolorfino, who heads the government’s peace panel ad hoc joint action group.
“The kidnappers abandoned their hostages around 2 a.m. after learning that rebels, backed by soldiers and policemen, surrounded the area to rescue the couple.”
“The bandits escaped, but there is a joint operation to capture them,” Dolorfino told Arab News by phone from Piagapo town.
He said the kidnappers were using VHF radios that allowed them to monitor MILF conversation about its plan to rescue the hostages. The couple were kidnapped on Friday outside the Marawi State University in the province and were brought to Piagapo.
The 58-year old professor also confirmed that their five captors apparently panicked after intercepting radio messages that the MILF and government forces were nearing their hideout. He said the bandits were apparently scared and talking about abandoning them.
“They went out of the house and they did not return,” Lucanas said by phone.
The MILF said the kidnappers demanded 5 million pesos for the couple’s safe release.
“The rescue operation was made possible because of good coordination and the exchange of intelligence between the MILF and government forces,” said Eid Kabalu, a spokesman for the MILF.
He said an MILF leader, Abdul Rakman Macapaar, alias Commander Bravo, led the rescue operation. Rebel forces have previously helped authorities rescue many kidnap victims in the south.
“Let this be a warning to bandits and kidnappers that the MILF will not tolerate these nefarious activities. We will pursue you,” Kabalu warned.
The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim separatist rebel group, is currently negotiating peace with the government.
It signed an agreement last year that paved the way for its fighters to help government troops hunt down terrorists and criminal elements in areas where the MILF is actively operating.
The MILF also shares intelligence information with the military about the Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf groups tied to Al-Qaeda through the ad hoc joint action group.
The United States labeled both the Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf groups as foreign terrorist organizations and offered huge bounties for the capture of their leaders.
