Philippine coast guards tell of escape from militants
Print Edition
Two Philippine coast guard men yesterday trembled and cried as they recalled their harrowing four-month captivity under Islamic extremists who beheaded a fellow hostage.
Sporting long beards, Gringo Villaruz and Rod Allain Pagaling said luck and quick wits aided their escape from Abu Sayyaf militants on the remote southern island of Jolo.
鈥淓ach day I felt like I was going to die,鈥 Pagaling told reporters shortly after arriving in Manila, as his 3-year-old daughter, Allaina, clung tightly to his shoulders.
鈥淚t was very difficult. We had nothing else to turn to except prayer.鈥
The men, who were abducted in May along with another hostage, were blindfolded, stripped of their shirts and made to beg for their lives on their knees as their masked captors held machetes to their necks.
A video of the desperate plea was posted on YouTube as the bandits demanded an undisclosed ransom.
The decapitated remains of the other hostage, Rodolfo Boligao, were found on a Jolo highway last week.
Military forces then launched a risky operation to free 11 hostages held by the Al-Qaeda-linked militants 鈥 including two Malaysians, a Dutch national and a South Korean.
During a firefight late Wednesday, Villaruz and Pagaling were able to slip away.
Militants are said to be holding nine remaining hostages.
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