A military official, quoting reports reaching this city, said the victim, businesswoman Marilyn Tiu of Alicia, Zam-boanga del Sur, was seen by villagers in Patikul, Sulu, a known haven of the extremist Abu Sayyaf rebel group.
The official said Tiu was handed over by Lidjal Usman, a commander of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front, to Abu Sayyaf commander Radulan Sahiron.
Lt. Col. Fredesvindo Cova-rrubias, chief of the military’s Civil Relations Group for Mindanao, said soldiers learned about the presence of Tiu in Patikul.
The troops were tracking down Abu Sayyaf hostages American Jeffrey Schilling and Filipino dive master Roland Ullah in the hinterlands of Patikul.
Tiu, wife of businessman Richard Tiu, was reportedly seized by the MILF’s Special Operations Group in the coastal village of Dawa-Dawa in Alicia last Nov. 28. She was initially kept in a rebel safehouse in Basilan.
The kidnappers have reportedly demanded P5 million for Tiu’s release.  Roel Pareño