25 May Abu Sayyaf Hostages Pleads to Duterte for Help – June 13 Deadline Getting Near
The ISIS affiliate Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) has set a date for another beheading of their hostages taken off Samal Island last year. Everyone anticipates a rapidly-expiring June 13 deadline set by the group, and the captives are pleading president-elect Rodrigo Duterte to save them from their current condition.
In a moment where it appeared that the governments of the hostages, Norwegian national Kjartan Sekkingstad, Canadian national Robert Hall and Filipina Marites Flor, have abandoned them to their fate, the hostages had their requests directed to Duterte as shown in the latest video that has been uploaded on the Internet.
Hall wants to get Duterte’s attention, he said, “I’m going to address my remarks to you. I’d appreciate it if you can do what you can to get us out of here.” He also added, “We’ve been humiliated in every way possible. One of us has already been murdered. We hope that you can work on our behalf as soon as possible to get us out of here. Please, the sooner the better. We’re three-quarters dead right now.”
Hall also added, “We live like this every day, go to bed like this. We have a hundred people heavily armed around us all the time that dictate to us and talk to us like children.”
He thanked his friends and family that made efforts to have him released.
Sekkingstad said at the end of the Video, “We will (be) executed on June 13 at 3 o’clock unless there is an agreement made with this group.”
The latest video that has been uploaded is on Sunday, May 22, with the ASG demanding a P300 million ransom in exchange for the two foreigners.
Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said regarding the issue, “We will issue a statement as we prefer to work on this. Hopefully, we will get results soon once a decisive engagement has been made in the area.”
AFP public affairs office Chief Col. Noel Detoyato also said, “The AFP’s operations will continue and we will not stop until … normalcy is restored. We will not stop until they are rescued and the kidnappers are brought to justice.”
“We will endeavor to make this kidnapping business unprofitable to them,” he added.
The military has never been short in their efforts to rescue the hostages as their military operations in the western Mindanao have been strengthened progressively.
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