Captive teachers freed in Philippines

Manila: The three public schoolteachers who were abducted by bandits six months ago were released by their captors Wednesday morning in Basilan province in southern Philippines.

Noemi Mandi and Jocelyn Enriquez walked free from their captors in Basilan's Tipo-Tipo town while a third victim, Jocelyn Inion, was recovered by police in another town before noon, the military said.

The victims were abducted by bandits on March 13 as they were on their way home to Ipil town, also in Basilan province.

A male teacher and the boat operator were able to escape from their captors by jumping overboard.

The victims were on their way home after a day of teaching at a government-run school in a remote village in Zamboanga-Sibugay province.

Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner, a military spokesman, said the police, the military as well as the local crisis management committee in Basilan played roles in securing the safe release of the teachers. He confirmed that the trio had been recovered, but emphasised that there was no ransom paid to the captors in exchange for their release.

Earlier reports said the bandits were demanding a 10 million peso (Dh771,577.65) ransom.

The bandits later agreed to reduce the ransom amount to 300,000 pesos (Dh23,174.28).

Education Secretary Jesli Lapuz expressed gratitude for the safe release of the teachers. He said the three will be reassigned in other less hazardous parts of the country.

The incident underscores the hazards faced by teachers in bandit-infested locales such as those in Zamboanga Sibugay and Basilan in southern Mindanao.

Antonio Tinio, president of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers of the Philippines (ACT), in an earlier interview with Gulf News, called for increased security for public schoolteachers working in remote areas of the country especially in Mindanao.

"Teachers are easy target because they have no security and are not expected to put up a fight, at the same time, they have political value," said Tinio.

A little over two months before the March 13 abduction, three other teachers were also abducted from a public elementary school just off the coast of Zamboanga City, a major trading area in Mindanao.

The victims, Janette de los Reyes, Rafael Mayonado, and Freires Quizon were released on May 27 after local officials negotiated their release.