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Reporters Without Borders/Reporters sans frontières
Release: Philippines
June 10, 2008
RSF: TV station's
presenter and crew kidnapped on southern island
Reporters Without Borders calls for the release of ABS-CBN television's presenter, Ces Drilon, her two-member crew and their guide, who have been missing for the past two days on the southern island of Sulu and may have been abducted by the militant group Abu Sayyaf, which has kidnapped more than 30 journalists.
"We hope that those who have abducted these three journalists and their guide will hear the appeals being made on their behalf by many of the country's leading figures," the press freedom organisation said. "Taking hostages is unacceptable. We call on all those could have any influence over the kidnappers to try to get Drilon and her colleagues released."
The country's largest privately-owned TV network, ABS-CBN confirmed today that it lost contact with Drilon and her crew, Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama, and the Mindanao University professor who was serving as their guide, Octavio Dinampo.
It is believed that were kidnapped on the evening of 8 June in Maimbung, on Sulu, an island to the southwest of Mindanao island, where they had gone to do a report. ABS-CBN asked other news media to consider the security of its journalists when covering the story.
Drilon, who has worked for ABS-CBN since 1989, produces and presents its programme Business News. She has won several media prizes for her reporting.
The Mindanews agency said Dinampo has guided journalists on Sulu several times in the past and has written articles after interviewing Abu Sayyaf militants. "The kidnappers must free him because he is a man of peace," said Roberto Layson, another Mindanao peace activist.
President Gloria Arroyo has ordered the security forces to do everything possible to find the ABS-CBN crew.
Abu Sayyaf's many hostages have included European journalists Andreas Lorenz, Maryse Burgot, Jean-Jacques Le Garrec and Roland Madura, who were kidnapped on the island of Jolo in 2000. Arlyn de la Cruz, a reporter for the daily Inquirer and privately-owned TV station Net25, was released in April 2002 after being held for 100 days on Jolo.
Vincent Brossel
Asia - Pacific Desk
Reporters Sans Frontières
47 rue Vivienne
75002 Paris
33 1 44 83 84 70
33 1 45 23 11 51 (fax)
asia@rsf.org
www.rsf.org