Interior and Local Government Ronaldo Puno confirmed Monday that the two Red Cross workers abducted by the Abu Sayyaf last January 15 are still alive.

Puno told reporters that Swiss national Andreas Notter and Italian Eugenio Vagni were able to contact their families over the weekend. He added that Vagni needs medical attention.

Puno reiterated that government won't give in to the Abu Sayyaf's demand to pull out troops in the province if it is not directly related to the release of the hostages.

He also said the International Committee of the Red Cross stands by its no-ransom policy.

A military report seen by reporters last week said the Abu Sayyaf group that kidnapped three ICRC workers on Jolo on January 15 had demanded a $5 million ransom.

The rebels had threatened to behead one of the hostages. One of them, Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba, was freed in early April but Notter and Vagni are still being held.

Last Friday, police and military forces raided a house on Jolo island and found a cache of explosive materials. The military said the explosives were intended to be used to cause disorder and distract security forces from their operations against the kidnappers.

The Abu Sayyaf have been blamed for the worst terror attacks in Philippine history and have been linked by intelligence agencies to the Al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden.

Abu Sayyaf militants have kidnapped several other westerners over the past decade, many of whom, according to the Philippines military, were ransomed off for millions of dollars.

They also murdered an American hostage, Guillermo Sobero, in 2001. A second American, Christian missionary Martin Burnham, was killed in a military attack the following year that led to the rescue of his wife Gracia. With Agence France-Presse