Abu Sayyaf militants renewed their threat to kill their two Red Cross hostages unless government loosen a security cordon around their southern jungle stronghold, an official said Saturday. Sen. Richard Gordon, who also heads the Philippine Red Cross, said he spoke late Friday by cell phone with Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad who wanted security forces to pull back after the militants released Filipino Red Cross worker Mary Jean Lacaba without any ransom. The Abu Sayyaf refused to free the two Europeans from the International Committee of the Red Cross, Swiss Andreas Notter and Italian Eugenio Vagni. They were last seen Thursday when Parad handed over Lacaba to provincial Vice Gov. Lady Anne Sahidullah near Jolo island's Indanan township. The three were abducted Jan. 15 after visiting a Red Cross water sanitation project in a Jolo jail. “I will do what I told you I will do,” Gordon quoted Parad as telling him, referring to a threat made earlier in the week that the militants would behead one of the hostages if troops did not pull back. Parad had promised he would release a hostage if his demand was met. The government troops withdrew before Tuesday's beheading deadline lapsed, but not as much as the militants demanded. Troops later retook their old positions. Parad promised to start negotiations for the release of Notter and Vagni after the pullout of Philippine marines, police and armed civilian volunteers, Gordon said. He said the militants wanted an area to move around that's much smaller than what they had earlier demanded. Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said security forces will pull back only if it will lead to the release of the hostages. Puno indicated the kidnappers could not be seeking a ransom in releasing Lacaba but not the two others. “Maybe they feel that there is still some hope they will get some money from the (families of the) other two hostages and not from the family of Lacaba,” he said. Gordon said Parad did not indicate what the militants wanted in exchange for the hostages, but that he told them the Red Cross does not pay ransom. He said Parad sounded angry and may have taken a personal risk when he ventured outside the militants' camp to get a cell phone signal to communicate. Malacanang said on Saturday that it was doing “everything” to rescue the two remaining hostages but kept mum on the “security operations.” Press Secretary Cerge Remonde refused to discuss details of the government strategy to free the two European hostages. “The government is working on releasing the two hostages safely and we ask for prayers and support for us to achieve this objective,” Remonde said in a radio program. Government authorities said the kidnapping of the three aid workers has triggered a major rift within the Abu Sayyaf group. Police, officials detained Police and local government officials have been detained in the south for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping of three Red Cross workers, local media reported Saturday. The Philippine Star newspaper said up to 23 people had been rounded up on suspicion of helping the Moro militants in the Jan. 15 kidnapping of three International Committee of the Red Cross workers. The paper said local supporters of the Abu Sayyaf on the island of Jolo allowed the kidnappers to use their homes and gave then supplies. “Whether they were willing to help them is what we are trying to find out,” Puno said, according to the paper. He did not name those who were picked up but told the paper that local officials and police were among those being questioned.
