Gang holding Korean hostage sends feelers to calmly surrender

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — A kidnap gang holding a South Korean trader in Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat had hinted to release its hostage provided the government would welcome its plan to return to the fold of the law.

Col. Agustin Dema-ala, deputy commander of the 601st Army Brigade, said the abductors of Jae Keon Yoon led by Salamon Makadengdeng alias "Commander Tropical", a Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) lost command leader, were sending feelers to Palimbang Mayor Labualas Mamansual to come down from the mountain along with the kidnap victim.

"Commander Tropical is now willing to free the Korean national without paying any ransom provided the government would heed their request to give them a chance to have a new life," Dema-ala told newsmen during the media fellowship night hosted by newly-installed 601st Infantry Brigade commander, Col. Alexander Yano, held last Saturday at Dacera farm.

Earlier, the group of Commander Tropical called "Abu Sofia" have demanded P5-million ransom in exchange for the release of Jae, who was abducted along with Filipino business partner hotelier Carlos Belonio, a demand which was rejected by the government because of its no-ransom policy. But Belonio was freed by the kidnappers on March 29 after a series of negotiations spearheaded by Mamansual, who is a member of the special task force formed by Presidential Assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza.

Dema-ala, however, said this latest development only cropped up after the group have suffered a major setback in the past weeks when eight of the followers of Commander Tropical, including his henchman Commander Kambat, were killed in separate encounters with Army soldiers.

"I think the kidnap gang is now opting to surrender because of our massive operations launched to rescue the Korean national which resulted to the death of eight of their comrades," Dema-ala said. He said the number of the members of the kidnap gang is now reduced to less than 10 people when they cordoned the jungles of Palimbang, where they kept the foreign victim.

Lt. Col. Nards Balboa, spokesperson of the 601st Brigade, said he does not know how the government would respond to the new demand of the kidnap gang since Commander Tropical and his cohorts are facing charges in a local court at Sultan Kudarat in connection with the abduction of the Korean and Belonio.

Balboa said Tropical, who is a martial arts instructor in Malapatan, Sarangani province, has also a pending warrant of arrest for illegal possession of firearms in 1998.

Sa kidnapping pa lang na kaso ay dapat mabilanggo muna sila dahil heinous crime yan at non-bailable bago pag-usapan kung anong pwedeng tulong na maibigay sa kanila ng gobyerno, Balboa said.

For his part, Mamansual said the kidnap gang have no more choice but to return to the fold of the law because the MILF hierarchy would never accept them again after engaging into illegal activities.