Hostage-drama in Western Mindanao ends after more than 24 hours in Zamboanga del Sur; 3 hostage-takers run away but being pursued by authorities

By Ronron
May 25, 2005

The hostage drama that began before noon Wednesday in Misamis Occidental ended peacefully yesterday afternoon in Zamboanga del Sur, leaving no one from among the 12 hostages and the volunteer priest-negotiator severely injured or killed by the three suspects.

Sr. Supt. Eduardo Gallego, Deputy Provincial Police Director of Zamboanga del Sur, told Manila Shimbun in a phone interview yesterday that the crisis ended at around 3pm when the hostage-takers alighted from the Isuzu Fuego get-away vehicle at a remote area in Lakewood town, Zamboanga del Sur.

Gallego said the suspects were still holding up at that time three lady victims and Catholic Bishop Emmanuel Cabajar, who volunteered to drive the vehicle for their escape.

The suspects initially brought 12 victims, including a 10-year-old boy, when they transferred from the air-conditioned Rural Transit passenger bus to Cabajar’s vehicle at around 12:30 pm yesterday in Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur.

The hostage-takers, who are suspected to be members of the communist New People’s Army, had demanded during the stand-off at said place that they be provided a get-away vehicle.

“We gave in to their demand because in this kind of situation, what is paramount to us is the safety of the hostages,” Region IX Police Director Chief Supt. Prospero Noble said in a television interview. And this, according to him, is the same reason why the crisis stretched beyond 24 hours.

Gallego narrated that as the pick-up vehicle drove off outside Labangan and reached Dumalinao town, four hostages, including a 10-year-old boy, managed to escape by jumping off from the back. They were recovered by authorities and turned over to the Provincial Hospital of Zamboanga del Sur for treatment. Zamboanga del Sur Social Welfare officer Chit Sandiego described the escapees to be under trauma.

And upon reaching Lakewood town, the suspects reportedly released five other hostages, leaving three in their hands, plus Cabajar.

“They just wanted to escape. That was their only demand. They did not even divest the hostages of their personal belongings,” Gallego said.

The three armed men held the passengers of the Dipolog City-bound bus after they were cornered at a checkpoint at 11 am Tuesday at the town proper of Sapang Dalaga, Misamis Occidental.

According to Noble, the men were armed with three short firearms and four hand grenades, which they used to threaten to blow up the bus unless their demand was provided.

Noble and Gallego surmise that the suspects were NPA members since they allegedly claimed of being associated with the “leftist movement” and that they went down in a place believed to be influenced by the communist rebel group.

Noble said police and military operatives have immediately conducted pursuit operations against the three suspects in the mountain area of Lakewood./DMS