Abu Sayyaf threatens to execute hostage on April 25

Three foreigners being held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf for seven months now have issued a final appeal to their governments to meet the bandit group's demand of P300 million each in exchange for their safe release.

In a nearly two-minute video posted on YouTube, the captives said one of them would face execution on April 25 if the ransom is not paid.

The captives, with machetes held to their necks, asked their families and governments to pay a ransom of 300 million pesos ($6.51 million) each, down from the figure of a billion pesos each that the militants demanded last year.

"Notice to the families, to the Canadian government, and to the Philippine government. Now that the deadline of warning is over last April 8, 2016, but still you procrastinate. Now, this is already an ultimatum. Once you don't meet the demand, we will certainly behead one among the four (hostages) this coming April 25 at exactly 3 p.m.," the bandit said.

Philippine authorities have identified the foreigners as two Canadians and a Norwegian who were abducted along with a Filipino woman from a beach resort on Samal Island last September.

In the nearly two-minute clip posted on Youtube, the foreigners appealed for the militants' demands to be met.

"I am told to tell you that my ransom is 300 million," said one man, who identified himself as Robert Hall.

"My specific appeal is to the Canadian government, who, I know, have the capacity to get us out of here. I'm wondering what they're waiting for."

The other Canadian and the Norwegian also made appeals, but the Filipino woman was not allowed to speak.

Fourth appeal

The video was the fourth such appeal released by the militants. In their third clip last month, they set an April 8 deadline but no ransom was specified.

Abu Sayyaf militants are holding other foreigners, including one from the Netherlands, one from Japan, four Malaysians and 10 Indonesian tugboat crew.

They are believed to be held in a jungle in Sulu.

The Philippine government maintains a no ransom policy for hostages even as the military claimed last month that troops were closely catching up with the bandits.

On the nearby island of Basilan, government troops are pursuing another faction of Abu Sayyaf rebels, who killed 18 soldiers and wounded more than 50 in an ambush. The military said 28 Islamist militants, including a Moroccan, were killed.— Virgil Lopes/APG/JST, GMA News with Reuters