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1st lead: Two Filipino Journalists Freed EDS: Updates With Details, Background
Two Filipino journalists were freed Saturday afternoon by the Abu Sayyaf after nearly one week in captivity in the group's jungle camp in Jolo island in the southern province of Sulu, a local TV station reported.
The ABS-CBN news channel said the release of its cameraman Val Cuenca and researcher-writer Maan Macapagal were secured without paying any ransom to the Muslim extremist group.
The Abu Sayyaf was said to have demanded a ransom of 10 million pesos (about US$ 220,000) for the freedom of the two journalist, who were abducted Monday reportedly by a splinter group of the Abu Sayyaf after conducting an interview with Commander Radulan Sahiron in Patikul town, Sulu.
Chief government negotiator Robert Aventajado said he personally handled talks for the release of the two Filipinos.
The Abu Sayyaf Thursday freed German journalist Andres Lorenz of Der Spiegel weekly magazine, who was kidnapped on July 2. It has previously released six Malaysians and one German woman from the original group of 21 mostly foreign hostages seized on April 23 from Malaysia's resort island of Sipadan.
The rebels are holding the 14 remaining hostages abducted in Malaysia -- three Malaysians, two Germans, two French, two Finns, two South Africans, one Lebanese and two Filipinos. They have also in their hands three French TV journalists who visited their lair on July 9.
Aventajado said negotiations for the release of the hostages are still on-going. He expressed optimism that they may be freed in two weeks' time.
On Friday, Aventajado moved to implement a four-point guideline for journalists covering the hostage crisis to prevent further abductions in the province. He urged all journalists to leave Jolo, saying police and military cannot guarantee their safety.
The chief negotiator warned that armed groups separate from the Abu Sayyaf, lured by the prospect of making easy money on kidnapping, have been operating in Jolo as the military fell back from encircling the rebels.
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