MILF claims ‘progress’ in Sinnott kidnapping case
11/02/2009 | 10:44 PM
As a government crisis committee remains paralyzed on the matter, secessionist rebels on Monday claimed that they are making “progress" in efforts to free abducted Irish priest Michael Sinnott.
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) vice chairman for political affairs Ghadzali Jaafar said they had entered the picture and are “hopeful" the incident would come to a “favorable" end.
“We are moving and there has been some progress though I cannot tell you the details," Jaafar said in an article posted Monday night on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news site.
This, as a Pagadian-based Catholic bishop voiced apprehension over the MILF’s involvement in solving the kidnapping case.
Defense and military officials have tagged several "rogue" members of the MILF in Sinnott's kidnapping, an accusation that secessionist rebels strongly denied.
Armed men abducted the 79-year-old Sinnott in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur last October 11. No group has so far come forward to claim responsibility. Last weekend, GMA News aired a video of Sinnott holding a newspaper dated October 22 and claiming that his abductors want $2 million for his release.
Malacañang on Sunday said it is maintaining its no-ransom policy in Sinnott's case.
The crisis management committee (CMC) working for Sinnott's safe release meanwhile admitted on Monday that it is still in the dark over the case as the kidnappers continue to ignore their appeal for negotiations.
“Wala tayong tukoy na grupo (kaya) walang negotiation na nag-start, walang established contact (Since there is no definite group established as the abductors, we cannot even contact them, let alone start negotiations)," CMC spokesman June Allan Molde said in an interview on dzXL radio Monday. - GMANews.TV
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) vice chairman for political affairs Ghadzali Jaafar said they had entered the picture and are “hopeful" the incident would come to a “favorable" end.
“We are moving and there has been some progress though I cannot tell you the details," Jaafar said in an article posted Monday night on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) news site.
This, as a Pagadian-based Catholic bishop voiced apprehension over the MILF’s involvement in solving the kidnapping case.
Defense and military officials have tagged several "rogue" members of the MILF in Sinnott's kidnapping, an accusation that secessionist rebels strongly denied.
Armed men abducted the 79-year-old Sinnott in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur last October 11. No group has so far come forward to claim responsibility. Last weekend, GMA News aired a video of Sinnott holding a newspaper dated October 22 and claiming that his abductors want $2 million for his release.
Malacañang on Sunday said it is maintaining its no-ransom policy in Sinnott's case.
The crisis management committee (CMC) working for Sinnott's safe release meanwhile admitted on Monday that it is still in the dark over the case as the kidnappers continue to ignore their appeal for negotiations.
“Wala tayong tukoy na grupo (kaya) walang negotiation na nag-start, walang established contact (Since there is no definite group established as the abductors, we cannot even contact them, let alone start negotiations)," CMC spokesman June Allan Molde said in an interview on dzXL radio Monday. - GMANews.TV
