2 of 16 Agusan hostages freed to get food

(Updated 6:08 p.m.) Two of the 16 hostages held by tribal gunmen in Agusan del Sur have been “temporarily released," police said Sunday. But the Crisis Management Committee decided in the afternoon not to allow the two — local education official Hipolito Lastimado and teacher Diosdado Cabantac — to return to the hostage-takers. Lastimado and Cabantac were allowed by their kidnappers to temporarily walk free to fetch food, water and medicines for their fellow hostages, Senior Superintendent Nestor Fajura of the Caraga regional police said Sunday. “The key development right now is that they were able to temporarily release two hostages to go down to fetch some food, water and medicine needed by the hostages and the hostage-takers," he said in an interview over radio dzMM. At a press briefing later, Fajura said the medicines, potable water and food provisions requested by the hostage-takers and their victims have been delivered by Ondo Perez, whose release from jail was being demanded by the culprits. Perez was accompanied by his father Conrado. The two teachers were among the 16 hostages, at least two of them schoolchildren, taken by Manobo tribesmen from a primary school in Prosperidad town last Friday. A report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council initially identified 14 of the 16 hostages as: 1. Narciso Oliveros, district supervisor; 2. Hipolito Lastimado, division superintendent; 3. Apolonio Alibangbang, principal; 4. Joel Sausa, property custodian; 5. Manuel Mordano, teacher; 6. Felipina Quitoy, teacher; 7. Allan Gallano, teacher; 8. Mary Jane Bedrijo, volunteer teacher; 9. Arnold Quitoy; 10. Pido Dolorito; 11. Girlie Monticalbo; 12. Maricel Lagnazon; 13. Diosdado Cabantac, teacher; 14. Shen-shen Cabagtag. The kidnappers were demanding the release Perez, who is currently jailed for allegedly heading a similar kidnapping incident in 2009. He was temporarily released to deal with the hostage-taking incident. In December 2009, Perez and his men took 75 people, including children, hostage at the Maitum Elementary School in Sitio Maitum in San Martin village. The group, at that time, was trying to prevent being arrested by police who are pursuing them for their alleged participation in the massacre of loved one of a certain Jun Tubay in February that year. Fajura said the demand of the hostage-takers cannot be easily met because only the court has jurisdiction of the case. He appealed to them to release one of the schoolchildren, a 10-year-old girl, whom he said developed a fever while in captivity. Palace confident In Malacañang, deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte, citing information reaching them, expressed confidence that all the hostages will be released safely. “We’re very confident magkaroon ng magandang solution ang incident. Ang main concern natin safety ng hostages lalo ang dalawang minors (We’re very confident there will be a positive solution to this incident. Our main concern remains the safety of the hostages especially the two minors)," Valte said on government-run dzRB radio. She said the Palace is letting the local crisis management committee handle the details of the negotiations on the ground, adding there is no timetable for the resolution of the case. “Wala namang timetable, di tayo nagbibigay ng timetable. We are hoping dahil sila on the ground ang safety talaga ng tao (We have no timetable yet. We are hoping the people on the ground will do their jobs and ensure the hostages’ safety)," she said. Earlier Sunday, Caraga regional police head Chief Superintendent Reynaldo Rafal said they expect to secure the release of some of the hostages within the day. He said negotiations had been going on, headed by the town’s crisis management committee. Rafal said Perez is helping appeal for the release of the present batch of hostages. He said Perez had been “very cooperative" in their efforts to end the crisis peacefully soonest. “Ang target natin not later than today, ito gagawin natin lahat na magagawa natin (We aim to finish this crisis not later than today. We will do everything we can)," he said. In the meantime, he said police have set up an advance command post at La Purisima village in Prosperidad town. - with Ben Serrano/KBK/MRT, GMA News