DepEd chief appeals for release of 14 Agusan hostages

Education Secretary Armin Luistro on Monday appealed for the immediate release of 14 hostages, mostly teachers, who are being held captive by armed men in Agusan del Sur since Friday last week. The Department of Education (DepEd) also said in its Twitter account on Monday that it continues to offer prayers for the safety of the hostages. "Sec. Luistro appeals for the immediate and unconditional release of all the hostages in Agusan. We continue to pray for their safety," the DepEd said. On Friday afternoon, armed men held hostage 16 people, including two of minors, as they demanded for the release of a former militiaman, Ondo Perez, linked to a hostage crisis in 2009. Two of the 16 people were released on Sunday to get food for the other hostages.

"Compromises" On Monday, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo said they are looking for "compromises" to resolve the issue because they cannot give in to the hostage-takers' demand for the release of Perez. "May hinihiling, tinitingnan natin paano maibibigay na sumusunod tayo sa ating batas. O kung hindi, ano ang maaring maging arrangement para maibsan ang reklamo," Robredo said in an interview on dzXL radio. (We will look at the hostage-takers’ demands and see how we can accommodate them without breaking the law. If their demands are not lawful, we will find other arrangements to address their grievances.) He added that they hope to resolve the case within Monday. Rival clans Perez is currently detained at the Agusan del Sur Provincial Jail for criminal charges. According to the police, they are keeping a close watch on Perez’s rival armed group, headed by Joel Tubay. Earlier this year, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) initiated a public inquiry into the extrajudicial killings in Agusan del Sur, particularly those allegedly involving the Perez and Tubay clans. During the public inquiry held in Butuan City, members of both clans claimed that the killings stemmed from fights over lands planted with falcata and other wood species and ancestral lands rich in mineral resources. The conflicts allegedly resulted from fighting over who will benefit from the mining and logging activities in the area. – with Ben Serrano, GMA News