Christians Fear More Islamic Attacks In Southern Philippines

    
A rebel of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. His group has attacked Christian communities.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (BosNewsLife)– Christians in the southern Philippines feared more attacks Tuesday, October 7, a day after the European Union said it would extend seven million euros, or almost 10 million dollars, in emergency aid for people displaced by the Muslim insurgency in the area.
The announcement by the EU, described as one of the largest sources of official development aid to the predominantly Roman Catholic southeast Asian country’s Muslim region, followed similar pledges of more aid from United Nations agencies. Yet Christian families on the island
of Mindanao have told reporters that they remain concerned amid reports Islamic rebels could attack them at midnight.

      
In a statement, the European Commission Head in Manila, Alistair MacDonald, urged the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to end the fighting on the island of Mindanao and resume peace talks.

Fighting flared up in August after the Supreme Court suspended a draft agreement that could have led to a peace accord with the 12,000-member MILF, which has been waging a four decades-old campaign to set up an Islamic state. Christians have made clear they
state and want to remain within the Philippines.

CHRISTIANS ATTACKED

In response MILF rebels attacked Christian communities, reportedly burning and looting homes and killing civilians in fighting that has claimed about a hundred lives and forced half a million people to flee their homes.

About 100,000 are still in evacuation centres, French News Agency AFP said.

Fighting has continued in the area. In the latest incident, three Filipino soldiers were wounded when a military convoy hit a landmine near Valencia city over the weekend, the Philippine army reportedly said.

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Kidnappers of two aid workers being held in Basilan province want P5 million ransom in exchange for the release of one of the two hostages.

                                       
Negotiators in contact with kidnappers of 2 female social workers in Basilan

This was disclosed Thursday by Vice-Gov. Alrasheed Sakalahul, the head of the Crisis Management Committee that was formed to negotiate for the release of the hostages.

Sakalahul said the kidnappers have demanded P5 million in exchange for the release of Esperancita Hupida, the program director of the Nagdilaab Foundation Incorporated (NFI).

NFI is a non-profit organization that implements health, environmental, micro-lending and similar assistance projects.

It members work with Muslim leaders and residents, particularly in conflict areas.

It was not yet known as to how much ransom the kidnappers want in exchange for the release of the second hostage, Millet Mendoza.

Mendoza is a Manila-based freelance community development specialist.

Hupida and Mendoza were seized by 10 gunmen believed to be Abu Sayyaf bandits in the afternoon of September 15 in the village of Cabangalan, Unkaya Pukan town.

The captives were returning to Isabela City, the capital of Basilan province, coming from Tipo-Tipo where they are implementing humanitarian project when they were seized.

Hupida and Mendoza are now on their 24th day of captivity after they were kidnapped – GMANews.TV