Something tells me that it will only be a few more weeks, maybe even two, before the Abu Sayyaf Group finally release their Red Cross captives.
Recent news confirms fears that these captives have been broken up into two groups--one ASG unit holding the Filipina engineer volunteer while the other, in a more secure place, holding the two Italian Red Cross workers.
Question--how did the ASG managed to break up their captives into two groups inspite of the alleged "tight military dragnet" thrown at them by the AFP?
Just recently, ASG sub-commander and appointed spokesperson Albader Parad went on air, and asked that the military withdraw its troops near their camps, which was rejected flatly by the AFP. Don't tell me that after that televised exchange, the AFP finally succumbed to the ASG demands?
Government should investigate this. It's highly uncanny for the ASG, which the military described as "trapped" already in one place, to again, move to another location, even further complicating the already confused and complicated hostage crisis.
Was there another "compromise" with the military, given that the ASG reportedly demanded 50 million pesos as ransom?
Muslimin Sema, one of the Tausug MNLF commanders and now part of government, told Mindanao journalists that the ASG is asking for 50 million pesos as ransom. No official statement has been heard from the ASG on this amount.
What is certain, given a study on the movements of the Abu Sayyaf Group in recent past, is when they break up their hostages into groups, it is either they are preparing for an open battle with the AFP; or they are in near completion of their negotiations with government or non-government emisaries. Something tells me that these captives are now being prepared to be released.
The question everybody is asking is this---who convinced the ASG to release the Red Cross workers and for how much?
Something tells me, these captives were given as "gifts" to buttress the announcement of a presidential bid. Whose bid?
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