Duterte to ask for Misuari’s help in saving 3 Abu Sayyaf hostages

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte waves to the guests during the ceremonial confirmation of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) plebiscite canvass results and oath-taking ceremony of the members of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority at the Malacañan Palace on February 22, 2019. ALFRED FRIAS/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

To save the three foreign captives of Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday, February 22, thinks he will be needing the help of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chairman Nur Misuari that is why he will ask for it.

“I would appeal to Nur Misuari to stop it and tell the Abu Sayyaf that ‘look we’re talking, don’t make it hard for us to seek peace in our land,’” Duterte told reporters in an interview at the Malacañang.

It was reported that the terrorist group uploaded a video, showing their hostages held at knife-point as they appeal for help after the ASG threatened to behead them if they are not ransomed.

A report by the Straits Times identified the three captives as Heri Ardiansyah, 19, and Hariadin, 45, both are Indonesians, while the other one is Jari Abdulla, 24, a Malaysian.

The foreigners were kidnapped from their Sandakan-based fishing trawler in eastern Sabah waters near the Tawi-Tawi Islands on December 5, 2018.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo earlier said the Philippine government will not pay the ransom that members of the Abu Sayyaf are demanding.

Panelo believes it is not a good idea to give the money to the bandits as it will only “embolden them to engage in more abductions that would allow them to conduct extremist and other criminal activities as they could but more arms and weapons.”

Despite this, the Palace official said they are exerting all their efforts to save the lives of the hostages.

“Our security forces are hunting them in the wild forests of Mindanao to unleash their might and blow them to kingdom come,” he added.

In 2016, the group of Misuari helped in the release of Norwegian hostage Kjartan Sekkingstad who was held hostage by the ASG for nearly a year.