Five of 12 international hostages freed in Philippines

Freed hostage Marie Moarbes, center, is escorted by negotiators and soldiers to a military chopper on Sunday in Jolo, Philippines

In this story: Hostages traded for suspected guerrillas Muslim rebels ranks swell RELATED STORIES, SITES

From staff and wire reports

JOLO, Philippines (CNN) -- Five of the 12 international hostages held by Muslim extremists in the Philippines were freed today after Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi agreed to pay $1 million each for their release.

The four women and one man, held for months in a jungle camp, are to travel to Tripoli, Libya, on Monday to meet Gadhafi.

VIDEO CNN's Maria Ressa reports from East Timor on the release of five hostages Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Ralitsa Vassileva reports on the four journalists freed after being held on espionage charges. Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     ALSO Chronology of events in Philippine hostage crisis Asiaweek: Cash, Guns -- and Lives     MESSAGE BOARD Philippine kidnappings

Negotiators say they hope the remaining hostages will be released on September 1.

The Philippine government's chief negotiator, Roberto Aventajado, said he sympathised with those still being held and asked them to be patient.

"Five is OK for today," he told a news conference. President Joseph Estrada hailed the hostage release as "a big step forward."

"Patience does pay off," the president's spokesman, Ricardo Puno, said in claiming vindication for the government's decision not to send in troops to free the hostages.

"The work is not done yet," Puno said, emphasizing that the government would continue to try to secure the freedom of the last hostages.

The hostages released on Sunday are French women Marie Moarbes, Sonia Wendling and Maryse Burgot; South African Monique Strydom and German Werner Wallert, whose wife was freed earlier.

They were kidnapped on April 23 while holidaying at a Malaysian diving resort, and brought by boat to Jolo, an impoverished island 940 kilometres (580 miles) south of Manila.

Burgot was seized along with two other French TV journalists last month when they visited the rebel camp.

Werner Wallert, right, listens as German Ambassador Wolfgang Gottelmann formally accepts his release upon arrival in Zamboanga city in the southern Philippines on Sunday

Hostages traded for suspected guerrillas

On Saturday, the Abu Sayyaf rebels agreed to release the hostages after a Zamboanga court freed two suspected guerrillas, Jeffrey Lau Jinnul and Adjid Halik.

The two were detained on Thursday while trying to convert $240,000, believed to be part of an earlier ransom payment, into Philippine pesos at a Zamboanga bank.

They were charged with being accessories to kidnapping.

Halik is the brother-in-law of a rebel commander, authorities said.

Rebel commander Ghalib "Robot" Andang demanded their freedom before he would consider releasing more captives, negotiators said.

Police said they were pressured by high government officials to release the men, who were freed on Saturday on 120,000 pesos ($2,700) bail each.

The military estimates the rebels already received more than $5.5 million to free nine Malaysians and the German woman. The rebels have insisted on freeing the hostages in batches to avert any military attack.

Released captive Werner Wallert (behind, with beard) walks with negotiator Abdu Rajab Azzarouk on Sunday in Jolo, Philippines, to a military helicopter

Muslim rebels ranks swell

The Abu Sayyaf, the smaller of two Muslim rebel groups active in the southern Philippines, says it is fighting for an independent Islamic state in the region.

The government insists the organization is a group of bandits carrying out kidnapping and piracy.

Before the kidnapping they were estimated by the military to number about 500 in the province, but that number has jumped to 5,000 as many others have been attracted by the large ransom payments, a military official said.

The son of the released German couple, the Wallerts, is one of the hostages still held by the rebels along with one French national, two Finns and one South African.

Twelve Filipino Christian evangelists who went to the rebel camp to pray for the hostages are also still captive.

Released hostage Marie Moarbes gets a kiss from her father Michel upon arrival in Zamboanga city on Sunday

All the remaining international hostages were to have been released last week, but that plan failed when Libya offered to pay $700,000 per captive instead of the $1 million demanded by the guerrillas.

Cmdr. Andang agreed to reschedule the release after Libya said it would pay the full amount, negotiators said.

Tripoli has launched a major initiative to secure the hostages' freedom.

Sources said Libya had agreed to pay for the release of the hostages in addition to funding livelihood projects for Muslim areas in the southern Philippines.

Germany's Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer thanked Libya on Sunday for its help in winning the release of its citizen.

Plea for caution over Philippines hostage crisis
August 24, 2000
Three Malaysian hostages finally free in Philippines
August 19, 2000
Anticipated release of Philippines hostages fails
August 19, 2000
Muslim rebels release Filipina hostage on Jolo
August 16, 2000
Libya denies readiness to pay ransom for hostages in Philippines
August 12, 2000
Philippines grenade blast injures 18; police suspect Abu Sayyaf rebels
July 26, 2000

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