The defence department yesterday declared Filipino journalist Arlene dela Cruz missing, two weeks after she contacted her TV station Net 25 from Zamboanga City where she was doing a story on the Abu Sayyaf.

In a brief submitted yesterday by Ross Manlangit, Chief of the Office of Public Affairs to the Department of National Defence Secretary Angelo Reyes, he said Dela Cruz, 36, was last seen at the Garden Hotel in southern Zamboanga City prior to her disappearance.

On January 19, Dela Cruz left Zamboanga City for southern Basilan to do a story on Abu Sayyaf hostages Martin and Gracia Burnham.

The journalist filed a report with CBS News including footage of the couple which was taken earlier. Since then Dela Cruz was unable to get in touch with her regular employer, Net 25 as well as CBS. "Her partner from the local cable TV station Net 25 said she could not be reached on her mobile phone," Manlangit added.

The official declaration ended weeks of speculation that Dela Cruz was working on just another story when she disappeared. She was noted for her exclusives on the Abu Sayyaf and would disappear for days before surfacing with a scoop.

Manlangit had urged the defence department to order a search for the journalist. Dela Cruz is known to have developed close ties with key leaders of the Abu Sayyaf including its chief Khadaffi Janjalani and spokesman Aldam Tilao, also known as Abu Sabaya.

The journalist was able to make full use of this to get stories from the extremist group when other scribes find access difficult.

Dela Cruz had also been branded by local military officials as a propaganda tool for the Abu Sayyaf, triggering speculation among the local media that the armed forces may have a hand in her disappearance.