Sun.Star: MILF faction briefly holds hostage mother, son in Zambo

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - Rebels belonging to a faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) held hostage a housewife and her 10-year-old son in exchange for a homemade rifle and bolo in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, the police reported Monday. The Zamboanga Peninsula Police Office (ZPPO) said the incident took place about 6:30 p.m. Friday in the village of Malian in the town of Gutalac. The ZPPO report identified the hostages as Cresencia Colot, 45, and her son. The mother and son were held by a group of fully armed rebels led by a certain Commander Saludin whose group is operating in the Zamboanga del Norte hinterlands. The ZPPO reported that Saludin's group seized Cresencia and her son and demanded that the woman's husband Edilberto, who is a village watchman, surrender to the rebels his homemade rifle and bolo in exchange for the release of the hostages. Saludin shot Edilberto twice with a caliber .45 pistol but missed, the ZPPO report said. Edilberto's wife, who knew where her husband hid the rifle and bolo, took them from the hiding place and handed them over to Saludin. Saludin refused to free Cresencia and her son and demanded that Malian village chief Felix Tanez should negotiate with the rebel group for the release of the hostages. Further investigation revealed that Saludin has an axe to grind against Tanez. This as Saludin lost to Tanez during the elections for village chief last October. Saludin's group released the hostages after learning of the arrival of combined military and police forces in the area and fled to avoid armed confrontation. A hot pursuit operation was launched to locate and arrest Saludin and his men, the ZPPO reported. - Sun.Star