Manila: Father Teresito Suganob, a Catholic priest taken hostage by the Maute-Abu Sayyaf since on May 23 — day one of the Marawi City siege — was recovered alive by government forces on Saturday evening, an official said.
He spent 149 days in captivity by the Daesh-inspired group, Philippine media reported.
Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza, in a Facebook post on the morning of September 17, said Suganob was recovered by soldiers near the Bato Ali Mosque at around 11pm on Saturday.
An official announcement is expected to be released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), but Dureza, in his post, said Suganob had been “rescued”.
According to the Mindanao Examiner, besides Suganob, a teacher at the Dansalan College in Marawi City, Lordvin Ocopio, was recovered. The two spent 149 days in captivity.
The Mindanao-based publication report said the two had “escaped” from the Bato Ali Mosque, which is being used by the Daesh-influenced militants as a base for carrying out attacks against government forces.
The military had announced on Saturday that the Bato Mosque had been liberated from Maute-Abu Sayyaf militants.
Suganob and Ocopio were among the dozens of civilians held hostage and used as human shields by the Maute-Abu Sayyaf when the latter group launched a counter-operation on May 23 in Marawi City to repel a move by the government to arrest key militant leaders.
Suganob, also known as “Father Chito” to his parishioners, was the Catholic Vicar General in a city where the overwhelming majority of the population are Muslims.
Ozamiz City Archbishop Martin Jumoad hailed the safe release of the hostages as he attributed this development “to faith in prayer”.
“So many are praying for his freedom. So many Masses are celebrated for that intention,” Jumoad said.
Suganob was reported to have been forced by his captors to work in the kitchen to feed fighters and other hostages.
It is not yet certain how many captives are in the hands of the Maute-Abu Sayyaf but officials believe that these are only a handful from the almost 100 initially held captive when the crisis began.
Suganob had earlier appeared in a video that was posted on social media sites, appealing for government forces to spare civilians from the fighting.
Dureza said Bato Mosque is the second major Muslim house of worship in Marawi City to be captured by the AFP following the liberation of the Grand Mosque in the city on September 11 last year.
Government forces had launched a sustained air and ground operation to expel militant forces from Marawi City immediately after information came out that Central Mindanao city is being besieged by militants.
Nearing its end
Last Friday, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced that the situation in Marawi City “is nearing its end”.
“There are only a few terrorists remaining. The battle area is confined to an area as small as one-and-a-half village. That’s why I’ve been told by our ground commanders that the end to fighting is near,” Lorenzana said during the Mindanao Hour press briefing in Malacanan Palace.
He said that as of September 14, the death toll is placed at 670 Maute-Abu Sayyaf gunmen, 47 civilians and 147 government personnel.
