JOLO, Sulu: Recruits are flocking to join Muslim extremists who are holding a prominent broadcaster and her cameraman hostage in the southern Philippines, an intelligence official said yesterday.
New members are signing up with the Abu Sayyaf group in the hope they get some of the ransom money that may be paid for television anchor Ces Drilon, her cameraman and their guide, said the official, who asked not to be identified.
Drilon, her two cameramen and academic Octavio Dinampo were seized by suspected Abu Sayyaf members on the island of Jolo on June 8. One of the cameramen was freed on Thursday after payment of 100,000 pesos ($2,250).
Isnaji Alvarez, mayor of Indanan town on Jolo and one of the negotiators for the kidnapped group, said in a radio interview yesteday that the kidnappers were different from previous Abu Sayyaf bands that held people in the island.
"These are young people, maybe about 30 years old. This is a new group. This is the second generation of Abu Sayyaf," he said.
Alvarez said he had convinced the kidnappers not to separate the hostages and not to tie them up. He was also able to arrange the delivery of medicine to Dinampo, who suffers from arthritis.
Provincial Vice Governor Nur Anna Sahidulla, who is also among the negotiators, confirmed that the ransom money was the main issue slowing down the talks. "This is dragging too long because we haven't yet met the amount of money demanded by the kidnappers," she said, without saying how much the abductors were seeking.
She said Drilon's family had told her they could only afford two million pesos.
Press reports say Drilon has spoken with ABS-CBN television channel bosses and told them her captors are demanding 10 million peso ($225,000) in ransom money. Provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim said intelligence reports indicated the kidnappers had moved their hostages to another location since their abduction.
With additional input from agencies
