Anti-terror Task Force commander Maj. Gen. Ruben Rafael said the decapitated bodies of the six hostages were retrieved by troops near Parang town.
He said the six construction workers were executed around 2 p.m. yesterday after the deadline for the ransom demand was not met.
Rafael said it was a pity "these poor victims... fell into the ruthlessness of terrorists."
Sulu police provincial director Senior Superintendent Ahirun Ajirim said some villagers reported seeing the decapitated bodies of the captives who were among those earlier snatched by Abu Sayyaf gunmen led by Albader Parad last Monday.
Ajirim said the villagers saw the headless bodies in the jungles between Parang and Indanan towns early yesterday.
A military official separately confirmed the beheading and claimed the heads of two of the victims were even sent to Army’s Alpha Company detachment of 33rd Infantry Battalion based in Parang.
The Abu Sayyaf earlier demanded P5 million in exchange for the release of the hostages.
The bandit group reportedly relayed the ransom demand through text messages circulating in Jolo, Ajirim said.
The workers were abducted separately in Parang last Monday.
The gunmen abducted a dried fish factory worker in a passenger jeep along the national road in Barangay Silangkan while the six construction workers were snatched while hitching a ride on a dump truck on their way home near Parang.
Police initially identified the six construction workers as Dennis delos Reyes, Luie Teodoro, Nonoy Ampoy, Wilmer Santos, Roger Francisco and a certain Toto Millas, who are residents of Zamboanga City and hired to work for a road project in Sulu. The seventh captive has yet to be identified and his fate remains unknown.
Jolo Gov. Ben Loong said the kidnappings were staged by Parad, a former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) commander who has sided with the Abu Sayyaf.
He said Parad and his group operate in Jolo’s mountainous townships of Indanan and Parang.
Some village leaders are helping to locate the kidnap victims, he said but declined to say whether he would be willing to negotiate with the Abu Sayyaf in the ransom demand.
He said the kidnappings are an indication that the Abu Sayyaf remains capable of banditry and terrorist acts despite battle setbacks dealt by a large US-backed offensive that started in August.
Loong said it was unclear whether the kidnappings were intended to divert troops who are hunting for renegade MNLF commander Habier Malik and his men.
Malik was blamed for deadly mortar attacks in Jolo last week.
The military said Malik has provided sanctuary to Abu Sayyaf and the Indonesian militants who have been targeted by the US-backed offensive, which resulted in the killing of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khaddafy Janjalani last year and his presumed successor, Abu Sulaiman, in January.
An estimated 300 to 400 Abu Sayyaf gunmen remain at large on Jolo.
Washington has blacklisted the Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist group and offered large rewards for the capture of its top commanders.
This developed as the US government gave a total of $75,000 in rewards yesterday to two Filipinos who provided information that led to the killings of two Abu Sayyaf leaders.
The informers, identified by the pseudonyms Mr. Hollow Man and Mr. Invincible, gave tips to government troops who went on to kill Abu Sayyaf leaders Jumdan Jamalul, also known as the Black Killer, and Binang Sali, alias Commander Freedom, in separate clashes in January, officials said.
Mr. Hollow Man received $40,000 while Mr. Invincible got $35,000 from Navy Commander James Marvin of the US Defense Department and Filipino military officials led by Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) chief Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo. – With Paolo Romero, AP