Philippines

Gunmen free all hostages

Article published on the 2009-12-13 Latest update 2009-12-13 10:42 TU

Hostages eat breakfast watched by a tribal gunman in San Martin, Prosperidas town in Agusan del sur province,
(Photo: Reuters)

Tribal gunmen on Sunday freed all 47 hostages they have been holding for three days in the southern Philippines, government officials say.

Agusan del Sur Vice-Governor Santiago Cane sent a text message to the media after he picked up the hostages from the gunmen's mountain hideout.

"Declaring officially released all of the hostages. Yes at last!" the text read.

The release came after government negotiators signed an agreement not to arrest the kidnappers.

Cane and other officials met the gunmen's leader Ondo Perez in a restaurant to end the kidnapping.

"All members of [government] crisis committee signed a document in front of Perez where they stated that all members of the group won't be arrested or detained," Cane said.

The question will be referred to elders of Perez's Manobo tribe for settlement, as permitted under laws governing indigenous groups.

 Earlier, negotiators brought in tribal leaders to sacrifice animals as part of a ritual demanded by Perez in overnight talks.

Tribal leaders slaughtered one black pig and three chickens, and offered ten boiled eggs and ten bottles of local wine to the gods.

The gunmen led by Perez are former communist guerrillas and members of the Manobo tribe. They raided a village school in Mindanao on Thursday, taking 75 hostages but later freeing 28.

Ondo Perez demanded that Calpito Icuag, a senior member of a rival Manobo family, have his bodyguards disarmed. He also demanded that a rival clan member, Joel Tubay, be arrested.

Official say that Icuag's bodyguards have already turned over their guns to the military and that a special task force is hunting Tubay.