MANILA – Still unidentified abductors freed early Thursday morning an Irish Catholic missionary priest they had abducted in Mindanao more than a month ago, a spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced.
Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner, the AFP spokesman, disclosed the Reverend Michael Sinnot of the Ireland-based Society of Saint Columbians Catholic religious order, was released to the custody of Rafael Seguis, the assistant secretary in the Department of Foreign Affairs, in a “barangay” (village) of Zamboanga City in Mindanao at about 4:30 am Thursday.
The turnover, Brawner said, was undertaken by members of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who said that they had succeeded in convincing Sinnot’s abductors to hand him over to them for eventual release to government officials.
Seguis also heads the government panel holding the on-and-off peace talks with the MILF being hosted by the Malaysian government.
Sinnot, 79, was described by Seguis in separate live interviews with Metro Manila-based radio and television stations as looking tired but nonetheless in good health despite the ordeal he had undergone since his abduction by heavily armed men in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur province in Mindanao on October 11.
Seguis said Sinnot’s good health was confirmed by attending physicians in a military hospital in Zamboanga City where he was brought after his release.
In particular, the health of Sinnot became a major concern among his colleagues and other concerned sectors, having undergone a heart bypass operation four years ago and continuing medication.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo personally welcomed Sinnot upon his arrival from Zamboanga City by military plane at the Villamor Air Base in suburban Pasay City, Metro Manila at about 10:30 am on Thursday.
His release also came a few hours before the arrival in Manila Thursday afternoon of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a one-day visit for talks with President Arroyo and other government officials on regional as well as local issues especially those that affect relations between the Philippines and the US.
In a brief press conference upon his arrival, Sinnot thanked the Philippine government and the millions of Filipinos and others around the world, who prayed for his release since his abduction.
At one point, the visibly elated Sinnot told the media conference: “Because I am a bit old and I found hiking a bit difficult at times, I think that they’d (abductors) be glad to kidnap a younger man next time.”
The priest recounted the travails he had undergone while in captivity, like sleeping under a tarpaulin in a flooded area, being forced to walk for miles in heavily-forested areas by his kidnappers and braving the raging seas.
Sinnot likewise praised his abductors for treating him well and feeding him rice and slices of bread during mealtimes.
Despite his abduction, Sinnot expressed his personal wish to remain in Mindanao but added the decision was all up to his religious superiors
He also revealed that in his talks with some of his abductors, he was told that they belonged to the “lost command,” a term usually used to describe “rogue” members of the MILF.
But Sinnot clarified he does not believe his abductors are from the MILF, adding that the suspects also told him he was kidnapped so they could demand a $2 million ransom for his release.
The government and the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) insisted that ransom was not paid for Sinnot’s release.
However, Major General Benjamin Dolorfino, the head of the military’s Western Mindanao Command, pointed out he was not convinced by Sinnot’s statement that the MILF was not involved in the kidnapping.
Earlier, Dolorfino and Secretary Ronaldo Puno of the Department of Interior and Local Government claimed that the MILF’s 113th Base Command was responsible for the abduction and even identified some of the suspects.
But one of the MILF leaders, Mohagher Iqbal, vehemently denied the accusation as he pointed out that they succeeded in convincing Sinnot’s abductors , whom he did not identify,to hand him over to them for eventual release to the government.
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