ZAMBOANGA
CITY, March 25 (PNA) - Tug boat skipper Aurelio Agac-ac walked for two hours to
his freedom at dawn on Saturday following a 37-hour harrowing
“They
(captors) were asleep, perhaps because they were too tired. I took the risk and
escaped,” he told reporters at the headquarters of the Western Mindanao Command
(Westmincom).
Agac-ac,
who was visibly tired, said he walked and run until he was recovered by
pursuing troops that have surrounded the mountainous area of Barangay Basakan
in the coastal town of Hadji Mohammad Ajul at around 3:20 a.m. Saturday.
“Even
at night, we can hear the presence of military choppers in the mountain,” he
said explaining the heavy presence of military forces in the area has forced
his captors to lessen the grip on him.
“I
walked and run. I was tired at same time hungry,” he said.
On
Thursday, the Abu Sayyaf bandits hijacked M/T Tug R9 and forcibly took Agac-ac,
along with his chief engineer, Laurencio Tiro, in the vicinity of Sibago
Island, Hadji Mohammad Ajul, Basilan.
“Although
I was scared, but I gather my strength to escape. I always pray and don’t lose
hope,” Agac-ac said.
Maj.
Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., Westmincom commander, said it was the combined efforts
of Navy, Air Force, and the local government of Basilan that pressured the Abu
Sayyaf bandits and lose its focus.
“It
was the constant pressure that we deployed that he was able to escape,” Galvez
said.
Following
receipt of distress call on Thursday, the Navy dispatched three gun boats to
the vicinity of Sibago island, while Air Force helicopters tracked down the
locations of the bandits.
“We
have increased our capabilities in terms of interdiction. We can react
immediately,” Galvez said.
With
the enhance military, “this will deter future kidnapping incidents [and
seajacking],” Galvez said.
He
said the pursuit operation is ongoing in a bid to rescue the remaining
kidnapped victim.
“We
have strong indications that his companion is still there, and hopefully we can
rescue him with the help of the local government units in Basilan,” he said.
Currently,
the military is constricting the area of the bandits, saying naval assets and
special forces are scouring the area.
“I
believed he is alive. He’ll be rescued because of the continuing military
operations,” Agac-ac said.
Agacac,
who admitted that it was his first time to set sail in the waters of Basilan,
said the hijacking occurred so fast.
“I
was really scared. But we were able to make a distress call,” he said.
According
to him, he were separated from his companion--Tiro.
“They
(Abu Sayyaf) told us not to resist or else something wrong might happen to us,”
Agac-ac said, adding that he saw three motorboats the Abu Sayyaf bandits used
during the hijacking.
“We
were about five to six miles when the Navy and military helicopter tried to
rescue us. They were shooting the kidnappers,” Agacac said.
“Thank
god I was not hit,” he added.
At
least one of the bandits was killed, and another was wounded, Galvez said,
adding that they were also able to apprehend two more Abu Sayyaf members and
recovered five motorboats that were used in the hijacking. (PNA)
DARWIN
WALLY T. WEE
