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No to amnesty for Abu Sayyaf

MANILA, Philippines - The proposal to grant amnesty to the Abu Sayyaf drew flak from various sectors yesterday as Malacañang said the move is “more unlikely than likely” to be considered. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita had said Malacañang would carefully study the proposal of Sen. Richard Gordon, who claimed to have information that some Abu Sayyaf commanders wanted amnesty and livelihood assistance in exchange for laying down their arms. Security officials led by Defense Secretary G...

Vagni ponders retirement

“Apo, you are free,“ 62-year-old Italian Red Cross worker Eugenio Vagni was told by his guards. It was 4 in the afternoon  Saturday, July 11, just four days shy of the half-year mark since he was abducted by the Abu Sayyaf, along with two other Red Cross volunteers in Jolo, Sulu, a few meters from the provincial capitol. “Apo,” or grandfather in Tausug, was what Vagni would be called by his captors. But Vagni was careful not to raise his hopes too high. He said he had been told this line ...

Gordon denounces ‘goodwill’ money for Vagni’s release

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Richard Gordon on Monday slammed the giving of "goodwill money" to Abu Sayyaf bandits who freed Red Cross worker Eugenio Vagni after nearly six months of captivity in southern Philippines. "...Had I known [that money would be given], I would not have allowed it. Not one penny," said Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), in an interview on GMA’s Unang Hirit. Gordon had long maintained that no ransom would be paid fo...

Money changed hands for Vagni release – Sulu official

MANILA, Philippines - A provincial official in Sulu province on Sunday admitted that money changed hands for the release of kidnapped Italian aid worker Eugenio Vagni but denied it was for ransom. Lady Ann Sahidulla, vice governor of Sulu province and lead negotiator of the Crisis Management Committee, said the P50,000 handed over to Vagni’s captors came from her pocket and that it was given “for goodwill." “They asked that I give them any amount, for cigarettes, so I gave them P50,000 ...

'I am the happiest man in the world' – Eugenio Vagni

MANILA, Philippines - After 179 days of being held captive in the dense jungles of Sulu, Italian Red Cross worker Eugenio Vagni was overjoyed to see his family following his release by the Abu Sayyaf. “I am the happiest man in the world,” Vagni remarked after he was reunited with his wife and daughter at the Villamor Air Base (VAB) in Pasay City hours after his release. “They are the source of my strength during my entire captivity,” Vagni said referring to his Thai wife Khwanruean Phu...