Hostages in Zamboanga: Negros Or. couple arrive home; one of them dead

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — A Negros Oriental couple, who was caught in the crossfire in Zamboanga City, returned home after being held hostage by the MNLF for eight days, but the husband arrived in a coffin.

Raymundo Cepada Jr., 61, who hails from Davao was hit by burst of gunfire while being held hostages by undetermined number of MNLF fighters last Sept. 13 in the presence of his wife Juana, 67. He was rushed to a hospital in Zamboanga but died later on.  

It was not clear what bullet hit Raymundo, but apparently it came from somewhere while being held hostage by the MNLF fighters.

Raymundo's remains, accompanied by his wife, brother and nephew Brandon Banua, arrived at the Dumaguete port at past 6 p.m. on board Montenegro Shipping from the Pulupandan Port in Zamboanga City.

They were brought to the hometown of Juana in Brgy. Mayabon of Zamboanguita town on board an ambulance.

Juana, apparently traumatized with being a hostage of the MNLF, refused to make public her ordeal during the 8-day captivity with husband Raymundo.

The couple was among the first batch of hostages, numbering 38, to be released by the MNLF. Reports had it that Juana could have been released earlier, ahead of the 37 others but she refused to leave behind her husband. 

Banua, the couple's nephew who was a first year ICT student in one of the schools in Zamboanga City, said that on the first day of the attack, the couple were intercepted at a checkpoint manned by armed men wearing camouflage uniforms with red patches.

The men, with high-powered firearms were later found out to be MNLF red fighters, subsequently burned their houses, said Banua.

He said that, a few days before the attack, he noticed a number of new faces in his school and in the University of Zamboanga.

Brandon said some MNLF fighters were young and there were even women, all of whom were holed up in a building that looked like an apartment. One of his school friend was even told by one of the "new faces" that they will kill all the Christians in the area.

A soldier from the 79th Infantry Battalion, who was among the reinforcement troops from Negros sent to Zamboanga, was also reported killed there. His body was brought to his hometown in Dapitan yesterday.  (FREEMAN)