International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) worker Andreas Notter is set to leave the Philippines Tuesday evening, three days after he was released from the hands of the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu province.

From Davao City, Notter arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 and met by Red Cross officials and Swiss Ambassador Peter Sutte.

Notter, who appeared relaxed and smiling, was brought to the Meet and Assist lounge of the Terminal 2 and greeted by Italian ambassador Ruben Fedele. He will stay at the lounge to wait for his 6:30 p.m. flight (Philippine Airlines flight PR 130) to Hong Kong.

Notter is expected to arrive in Hong Kong around 8 p.m. Philippine time and then take a connecting flight to Geneva, Switzerland where he will be met by his family and girlfriend.

Before leaving for Davao City, the ICRC worker contacted his friends and local officials in Zamboanga City to express his gratitude for the assistance they had extended to him and the other kidnapped ICRC workers.

Jose Mamauag of the Commission on Human Rights, a close friend of the Swiss ICRC worker, said Notter called him up an hour before leaving for Davao City.

Mamauag said Notter told him that he is "very much willing to come back [to the Philippines] after a few weeks" should the ICRC permit it.

Notter, who was found by police in a remove village in Sulu province on Saturday morning, was earlier brought to Davao City for continued debriefing and medical check-ups. Aside from losing some weight, doctors said Notter did not have any serious health problems.

'Cold case'

Authorities in Zamboanga City, meanwhile, expressed dismay after receiving information that the freed Red Cross worker Mary Jean Lacaba, who was released by the bandits last April 2, does not plan to file a criminal case against the kidnappers in order to comply with the ICRC's role as a neutral entity.

Senior Superintendent Edwin Diocos, Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit regional chief, said Lacaba had not submitted a sworn affidavit and has refused to cooperate with authorities in the investigation.

Zamboanga City Prosecutor Ricardo Cabaron said the case against the Abu Sayyaf kidnappers will be rendered weak if the victims do not submit a sworn affidavit.

"Penal laws in the country should be applied to everyone, regardless if they are foreigners or belonging to any impartial organization," Cabaron said.

Like Diocos, Cabaron also received information that Lacaba wanted to preserve the ICRC's neutrality by inhibiting from filing a case against their kidnappers led by ASG sub-leader Albader Parad.

Mamauag, meanwhile, said that a kidnapping case against the Abu Sayyaf can still prosper even without the victims' affidavits. He said there are other substantial evidence to be able to build a strong case against the kidnappers.

Only Italian Eugenio Vagni remains in the hands of Abu Sayyaf bandits. The three ICRC workers were leaving the Sulu provincial jail in Patikul town when they were kidnapped by the bandits last January 15.