Philippines Mayor wants to trade self for kidnap victims

By Hader Glang

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines

A city mayor has offered himself in exchange for three foreigners and a Filipina kidnapped by still unidentified gunmen on a southern Philippines island.

Rodrigo Duterte -- mayor of Davao, a city close to Samal Island where the four were snatched-- told reporters that he is putting himself forward if the kidnappers are willing to make the swap.

"I will offer myself as a hostage. If they release these people I'd like to join [the kidnappers] in the forest," Duterte said.

On Friday, a presidential spokesperson said it would not be prudent to place another person at risk following the abduction of Canadians John Ridsel and Robert Hall, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, and Filipina Teresita "Tess" Flor.

Unidentified armed men forcibly took Sekkingstad, 56; Ridsdel, 68; Hall, 50; and Tess -- said to be Hall’s wife or girlfriend -- from the Holiday Ocean View Samal Resort at around 11 p.m. (1500GMT) Monday.

Ridsdel is president of TVI Minerals Processing, Inc., a firm providing mineral mining services, with its main office in Pasig City but with business interests in Mindanao.

Hall is a geologist and Sekkingstad, meanwhile, is the operations manager for the marina.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte told reporters in Manila that operations are already underway to rescue the victims.

"It would not be prudent for the government to place another person in a risky situation," she said.

Duterte underlined that the kidnapping was undoubtedly the work of professionals, and not carried out by the New People's Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, as has been previously claimed.

"The NPA don’t kidnap for money, it’s an ideological thing for them," Duterte continued. "Although they often abduct soldiers, they don’t do that to civilians."

He said that he had sought the help of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front - the country's largest rebel group, which is presently involved in a peace process with the government - which had also promised to help solve the mystery.

In 2001, the Abu Sayyaf made an unsuccessful attempt to kidnap a group of foreigners from Samal Island's Pearl Farm Beach Resort.

Since 1991, the al Qaeda-linked group-- armed with mostly improvised explosive devices, mortars and automatic rifles -- has carried out bombings, kidnappings, assassinations and extortion in a self-determined fight for an independent Islamic province in the Philippines.

It is notorious for beheading victims after ransoms have failed to have been paid for their release.