Kidnappers demand P1M for 4 Basilan workers

By Bong Garcia Jr.

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Abu Sayyaf bandits and alleged Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels who are still holding captive four electric-company workers in Basilan  have demanded P1 million in exchange for the release of the hostages.

This was disclosed on Monday by the Basilan police commander, Senior Supt. Salik Macapantar, who said, “It is the talk of the town and confirmed by Baselco [Basilan Electric Cooperative] general manager Alfredo Oyao the last time we talked.”

The ransom demand was made in a letter written by the kidnappers sent through Ronnie Tansiung, 24, one of the five Baselco workers they seized on Thursday.

Tansiung,  Emilberto Singson, Alberto Singson, Paul Herwig and Ian Herwig were on meter-reading mission when they were s,eized at about  11 a.m. in barangay Sinulatan, Tuburan, Basilan.

The kidnappers freed Tansiung at about 7 p.m. Thursday to deliver the ransom demand letter and kept the Singsons and Herwigs as hostages.

However, Macapantar said he did not see any demand letter “but investigators are validating said demand.”

Police and military authorities were not able to talk to Tansiung since his release. They have not seen the alleged letter from the kidnappers.

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Minda-nao police commander, Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao, said Macapantar and his personnel in Basilan  were not able to talk directly with Tansiung since the time he was freed.

“We don’t know if he is being kept out of sight,” Goltiao said.

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Kidnappers demand P1M for 4 Basilan workers

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Abu Sayyaf bandits and alleged Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels who are still holding captive four electric-company workers in Basilan  have demanded P1 million in exchange for the release of the hostages.