Filipino ship officer Glenn Alindahaw and Korean ship captain Chul Hong Park, who were abducted last October 20, have been turned over by an unidentified group to Presidential Adviser on Peace Process Jesus Dureza.
Park, captain of a South Korean vessel, and his second officer, Alindahaw, were kidnapped 86 days ago by unidentified armed men headed by a certain “Abraham” while on board a Dong Bang Giant 2 within the international waters off Tawi-Tawi, reported MindaNews.
But Dureza, who flew in from Sulu with the freed hostages, told a press conference Saturday noon at the Mindanao Development Authority office at the old airport terminal that the two were passed on to another group when the leader died but he has no information how “Abraham” died or whether or not he died from an armed encounter with government troops, the report said.
He reportedly said Park and Alindahaw were abused physically by “Abraham’s” group while the second group abused them mentally. He said Alindahaw narrated to him how they walked endlessly from one place to another on empty stomach for days.
When the bandits were on the move, the captives would be lucky enough if they could be sheltered comfortably inside a house. On most days, they would sleep under the shade of the trees in the middle of the forest, Dureza reportedly said.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa panginoon, na nakauwi kami. (I thank God we are going home). We’re almost hopeless na,” Alindahaw, who hails from Cebu, was quoted as saying.
Dureza reportedly said that they could not clearly point to any group behind the abduction of the two victims since there are several other groups in Sulu engaged in kidnapping, aside from the Abu Sayyaf.
“Hindi ko ma-determine but there are many groups there who are engaged in kidnapping in the area. Let the military do the determination. Kasi they call everybody Abu Sayyaf there. I cannot make a personal accurate description of the handlers. Let the competent authorities determine,” Dureza reportedly said.
Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chair Nur Misuari helped in the release of the kidnap victims because it was his group who received the two before they were taken over to former Sulu Governor Sakur Tan on Saturday morning, Minda News quoted him as saying.
