Chinese tourist, Filipina resort worker held by Sayyaf in Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - - A health official confirmed that a Chinese tourist and a Filipina resort worker abducted in a resort off Sabah are being held by the Abu Sayyaf group in the jungle of Sulu province.

The health official, who declined to be named as he is not authorized to speak on the matter, said the information on the whereabouts of Gao Hua Yuan and Marcelita Dayawan was relayed by other health workers.

“The problem is the Abu Sayyaf will not just free the victims without any exchange of huge ransom unlike those local victims who were immediately freed after payment of considerable amount as board and lodging,” the source said.

Dayawan, 40, and Gao, 29, of Shanghai, China,  were forcibly taken on April 2 from Singahmata Reef Resort off Semporna, Sabah by seven gunmen  who then boarded a speedboat toward  Philippine waters.

A regional official of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), citing police and military reports. also confirmed the presence of the two kidnap victims in Sulu.

These series of information bolstered the reports that the Abu Sayyaf have been keeping the two captives in Sulu days after they seized the victims from the Sabah resort.

Earlier, local official also confirmed that the kidnappers arrived in Sulu via the coastal area of Parang town and were believed to have moved to Patikul, a known bastion of the Abu Sayyaf in the province.

Police and military authorities have limited the release of any information about the whereabouts  of the victims in Sulu, saying that it could compromise the safety of the victims. They said, however, that pursuit is underway to  rescue the victims.

A senior police official in Sabah has said efforts  are being exerted and that they are  expecting the release of the two victims “anytime” soon.

The health official believes that the Abu Sayyaf wants ransom before releasing the victims so as to buy themselves  high powered weapons and to entice support from the villagers.

“The Abu Sayyaf  members there  are trying to project  a 'Robinhood' [persona]  to the villagers and equipping themselves with high-powered firearms,” the source said.