Belgian engineer still in captivity
By Julie Alipala-Inot
PDI Mindanao Bureau
ISABELA, Basilan--As Belgian engineer Lieven De la Marche yesterday remained in the custody of his Moro kidnappers, his friend, released Dutch hostage Eric Bracke, spoke of his own ordeal in cool, unexcited terms.
After making a courtesy call yesterday on President Estrada in Malacañang, the Dutch journalist said his five-day ''experience was really very interesting'' and that he would write about it when he returned soon to Belgium, where he works.
De la Marche, 37, who was expected to emerge from captivity yesterday, was still nowhere to be seen, Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Edgardo Espinosa admitted.
Agrarian Reform Secretary Horacio Morales told the Inquirer that De la Marche would be released early this week. Morales' department works closely with the Belgian engineer, who is based in Mindanao as chief technical adviser to a land reform program partly funded by Belgium.
Basilan Gov. Wahab Akbar, chief negotiator for both Europeans' release, on Friday night left for Tuburan town for a new round of negotiations with the kidnappers.
''We will try our best with these negotiations,'' Akbar told the Inquirer before leaving for Tuburan.
On Friday afternoon, Akbar assured Morales that he would bring back the captive within 48 hours.
Espinosa insisted the release was delayed mainly by bad weather. He did not say why there were earlier reports the Belgian engineer had already been freed.
Clear the way
Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Joselin Nazareno yesterday ordered Navy boats in the seas off Basilan to clear the area and give safe passage for Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels preparing to turn over the hostage.
Nazareno lifted the naval blockade in the area to keep the MILF from being intimidated from proceeding to Basilan from Zamboanga del Sur, where De la Marche was being held.
But Mohammad Murad, deputy head of military affairs of the separatist MILF, said his group was ''still negotiating for the release of De la Marche from the hands of Moro guerrillas.''
But he added in a telephone interview, that ''we assure the government the abducted Belgian would be freed by'' today.
Bracke, who was kidnapped with De la Marche on June 13, was turned over to the government on Friday after Akbar ''reimbursed'' the kidnappers' expenses with P100,000, a motorcycle and a .45 caliber pistol.
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Excerpted from:
inquirer.net
Well, Steven, maybe a plugged-in guy like you could help me about this: are there any Hostage Options traded on the Chicago Board of Trade (or CBOE or whatever)?? I mean, just think of it, Steven: a CALL Option on an Abu-Sayyaf-detained western hostage was worth USD 2,165 in June 1999 (I've used the following currency converter: xe.net [with 100,000 Philippine Pesos]) and then, one year later, it skyrocketted to $1 million + 2 diving watches!! Gee... that's a 400%+ rise --provided the "underlying asset" isn't snuffed out before the expiration date.... Or perhaps a Belgian hostage is only worth 1/400 of a French one? Any idea?? |
