Muslim rebels set free two Filipino journalists

July 29, 2000
Web posted at: 1:35 PM HKT (0535 GMT)

JOLO, Philippines, (Reuters) -- Muslim rebels freed a Filipino couple working for the country's top television channel on Saturday, five days after taking them captive, local officials on the southern island of Jolo said.

They said ABS-CBN cameraman Percival Cuenca and his wife Ma'an Macapagal were handed over by the rebels to intermediaries who brought them to Robert Aventajado, the top Philippine official working for the release of the pair and other hostages held captive by the rebels.

The released couple was to fly from Jolo, 960 kilometers (600 miles) south of Manila, to the nearby city of Zamboanga. A statement from Aventajado's office said they would then hold a news conference.

The husband-and-wife TV crew was on Jolo to cover the fate of hostages seized by the Abu Sayyaf rebels more than three months ago from a Malaysian diving resort.

The rebels seized 21 people but have since released six Malaysians and a German woman. They are still holding three other Malaysians, two other Germans, two Finns, two South Africans, three French including a Lebanon-born woman who was given French citizenship while in custody and two Filipinos.

The rebels have also kidnapped three French television journalists, detained when they went up to guerrilla lair to interview its leaders earlier this month.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For more ASIANOW news, myCNN.com will bring you news from the areas and subjects you select.

See related sites about Southeast Asia
Southeast Asian media sites

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.