Philippine Government Television reported tonight the kidnapping of a TV news crew in the troubled Southern Philippines. The National Broadcasting Network, Channel 4 reported that a popular TV anchor and her crew along with a local professor were taken in remote area south of Manila in Sulu Province..

Mikeinmanila sources from Jolo Island in the southern Mindanao region allege four people have been kidnapped – ABS-CBN news anchor Ces Drilon, Cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion, Angelo Valderama, assistant cameraman, and a certain Prof. Octavio Dinampo. As of this time that is all the information coming from the area.

Allegedly the group is being held by a group or persons locals refer to as ‘Parad’s group’ per sources in the area.on Suu Island. They were taken earlier at a village / town of Indanan. It is not confirmed if this group is part of any of the local rebels in the area or is bandit or kid-nap for ransom organization.

A ransom demand has been made allegedly for several million Philippine pesos. But authorities in the area have not confirmed this at this time.

It is not the first time a News crew has been kidnapped on Jolo island last year a news team from the Philippines GMA television was taken by a another group in the same area. Several years before scores of journalists both foreign and domestic have been taken hostage for days to hours at a time by bandit groups and the ABU SAYYAF group. Most have been released unharmed. A majority of which have come after ransom payments.

ABS-CBN refused to comment on the report at this time. Radio rpeorts in across metro manila from various radio stations say that Police and Philippine Military officails have not commented but confirmed the information.

Update: The Moro Islamic Liberation Front posted this on the groups website.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), after confirming that popular ABS-CBN broadcaster, Ces Drilon, and two others were kidnapped, has created a special group in Jolo, Sulu to actively help in the monitor of the whereabout and condition of the victims.

The special group is headed by an MILF political officer, whose identity is not divulged in order to give him and his group better chance of getting hard fact of the incident.

“This will give our man in Sulu to move around freely,” Jun Mantawil, head of the MILF peace panel secretariat, clarifying, however, that the MILF has very limited help it can do, because the ASG and MILF are ‘like water and oil’.

“But we will do everything in our limited ways to help secure her and companions’ early freedom,” he vowed.

Mantawil told Luwaran yesterday afternoon that the MILF group had already sent an initial report saying Ces Drilon and two other crewmembers of ABS-CBN and MSU Prof. Octavio Dinampo were indeed kidnapped by an Abu Sayyaf sub-leader, a certain Gafur Gumbahali, in Barangay Kulasi, Maimbung town Sunday morning..

Gafur, the report added, is the brother of ASG dreaded leader Dr. Abu Jumdail Gumbahali.

Other report said Broadcaster Ces Drilon and her crew arrived in Jolo last Saturday, June 7, on the invitation of Professor Octavio Dinampo of the Mindanao State University “to cover a special event”.

Dinampo is also co-convener of the Mindanao Peace Weavers, a network of organizations advocating peace in Mindanao. He also heads Tulong Lupah Sug (TLS), which is a Jolo-based non-government organization.

He has also written some articles based on his interviews with Abu Sayyaf forces. Some of these articles were published in several papers.

Dinampo served as guide of Drilon’s group, who stayed at the Sulu State University Hotel, and early Sunday picked up the group from the university hotel to still unidentified destination.

This is the second time that a journalist from ABS-CBN was kidnapped in Sulu. In 2000, ABS-CBN reporter Maan Macapagal and her cameraman, Val Cuenca, were also kidnapped by the same Abu Sayyaf group.

However, the reported P10-million demand for the release of the victims is not yet confirmed, although this is expected any moment from now.

More reports and info:

Abu Sayyaf kidnaps Ces Drilon, 3 others
Manila Times, Philippines - 1 hour ago
“She was really in a hurry, and I even asked her where they were going; and Ces Drilon only replied that they would just be nearby. …
Peace advocate, ABS-CBN’s Ces Drilon feared kidnapped in Sulu Minda News
Ces Drilon, tv crew abducted by Abus Sun.Star
TV reporter, crew kidnapped in Sulu, police say Inquirer.net
Reuters – Minda News
all 29 news articles »

Palace hopes for safety of Ces Drilon’s group GMA news.tv, Philippines - 29 minutes ago MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang on Tuesday said it was praying for the safety of the group of broadcast journalist Cecilla Victoria “Ces” Oreña-Drilon and …

Abu Sayyaf kidnap Philippines TV crew
Bangkok Post, Thailand - 23 minutes ago
Ces Drilon, senior correspondent of ABS-CBN, and crewmen Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama had gone to the island of Jolo, 1000 kilometres south of …

Popularity: 6% [?]