57 hostages remain, 50 escape, 18 released

MANILA, Philippines (4th UPDATE) - An armed group on Thursday morning took hostage as many as 125 people, including pupils, in Prosperidad town in Agusan del Sur, police officials said.

Chief Superintendent Lino Calingasan, Caraga police director, said the gunmen were led by a former member of the Civilian Auxiliary Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) identified as Ondo Perez. He said the armed group attacked the Maitum Elementary School and took the victims hostage in Sitio Maitum, Barangay San Martin in Prosperidad.

The regional police office operations chief, Senior Superintendent Nestor Fajura, told ANC that a team of policemen was on its way to Prosperidad town to serve a warrant of arrest against Perez and the members of his group.

Fajura said Perez's group are suspects in the massacre of the family of Jun Tubay, a resident of Prosperidad, last February. He said the group took hostages to prevent the arrest.

He said Tubay and Perez's group were engaged in some sort of a clan war, which led to the alleged massacre.

Calingasan also said the members of the Perez Group are former CAFGUs who organized themselves into a crime group. He said the group is known to be moving in the mountainous area of Agusan and Surigao provinces.

“Forcibly took everybody”

Police Officer 3 Anna Rose Rivas of Prosperidad police station, in an interview over ANC, said that as many as 125 persons were initially taken by the armed group. She said that the gunmen came to the area at 6:45 a.m. and took everyone they could get their hands on.

Fajura said that the gunmen even took 17 pupils walking towards the school, civilians walking on the street, and even some residents inside their homes.

The hostages reportedly included 2 foresters of Casilayan Softwood Development Corporation.

The gunmen allegedly carried high-powered automatic rifles including M16s and M14s.

Escaped

Rivas said that they only found out about the incident after 50 of those initially taken hostage were able to escape around 11 a.m.

Among those who escaped were teachers Marilou Gregorio and Naomi Almindares, Rivas said. She said the two were able to tell police the identities of those who took them hostage and the objectives of the gunmen.

Rivas said that Perez reportedly wants Tubay arrested or to surrender to authorities. Perez said that his rival allegedly also has a warrant of arrest.

At around 3:40 p.m., and after negotiations with authorities, the armed group released 17 children and an elderly woman.

Remaining hostages all adults

Rivas said that those who escaped said that the gunmen did not hurt them. They said, however, that they were divested of their cash, and their cell phones were seized.

Police said the remaining 57 hostages are all adults.

“Mga adults na lang lahat, dahil iyong mga bata ni-release na nilang lahat during the course of negotiations," said Calingasan.

Calingasan, meanwhile, said they have organized a Crisis Management Committee headed by Agusan del Sur Gov. Valentina Plaza to negotiate the release of the remaining hostages.

“We have already deployed the provincial mobile group and we have organized the provincial management committee to pursue the negotiations,” said Calingasan.

The police official also said that other demands of the hostage takers include the withdrawal of the murder case against Perez, the presence of journalists ostensibly to cover the incident, and the halt of police and military operations against them.

Fajura said the armed group is keeping the hostages in a hilly portion, 2 kilometers northeast of Sitio Maitum.

End by Friday?

Meanwhile, Senior Superintendent Nestor Paguirigan, Agusan del Sur police director, said negotiations with the armed group were immediately led by provincial social welfare and development office chief, Josefina Bahadi.

The provincial police chief, in an interview with TV Patrol World, said Bahadi successfully negotiated the release of the 17 children and the woman who reportedly had a stomach ache and diarrhea.

Paguirigan also said the gunmen promised the negotiators that they will end the hostage-taking peacefully by Friday.

“I do hope this will end tomorrow as they promised,” said Paguirigan.

The provincial police chief said, however, that the demand of Perez to also have his rival Tubay arrested was an issue of law enforcement.

He appealed to the gunmen to peacefully submit themselves to court.

“Ang demand nila is to quash their existing cases. The attempt to quash will happen when they submit themselves to the custody of the court, which, I explained a while ago while they were talking to the negotiator and the negotiator called me up,” said Paguirigan.

The police official asked the gunmen to surrender peacefully.

“Mag-surrender peacefully, release hostages na nasa mabuting kalagayan, at huwag mananakit ng mga inosenteng tao kagaya nitong mga hostage nila ditto na peace-loving citizens para ganoon ay matulungan pa sila kung saka-sakali ay magkaroon ng pagkakaton ng atendahan ng korte at mahingi natin ang kanilang hinihiling,” said Paguirigan.

Paguirigan also said that the gunmen, through the negotiators, agreed to provide access to officials of Barangay San Martin who have provided food to the hostages.

He also said some of the gunmen, reportedly numbering 19 in all, were also residents of Sitio Maitum and neighboring sitios Gacad and Balite. With reports from Noel Alamar, ABS-CBN Butuan, Radio dzMM and ANC