Philippines rejects ransom demand to free kidnapped Irish priest

Philippine government Sunday rejected the kidnappers' demand to pay 2 million U.S. dollars in exchange of the freedom of an elderly Irish priest being abducted in the country's troubled south for three weeks.

"We will do everything to ensure his safe release. We will, however, stick to the international policy of paying no ransom," Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said in a news briefing a day after a video-tape containing footages of Father Michael Sinnott relaying his captors' ransom demand was made public.

The 79-year-old missionary, who underwent a heart bypass surgery in 2005, said that he remains in "good health" even if he has not been taking all his required medication, according to the video-tape which, the authorities believe, was made on Oct. 24.

Sinnott was abducted by armed men from his residence in southern Philippine city of Pagadian on Oct. 11.

Fr. Patrick O' Donoghue, major superior of Columbans in the Philippines, to which Sinnott is attached to, Sunday also released a statement saying their congregation "does not pay ransom."

O'Donoghue said he saw Sinnott in the video and expressed satisfaction in knowing "that he is alive and that he has some of his medications."

Meanwhile, the government of Ireland said in a statement Sunday that it will continue to work to secure the immediate and safe release of Fr. Sinnott. The statement said the victim's family were very relieved to hear that there is further evidence that he is still alive.

The crime of kidnap-for-ransom has been on the rise in recent years in the insurgency-infested southern Philippines. Sinnott was the second Western missionary being kidnapped in southern Philippines in the past five years. Italian priest Giancarlo Bossispent a month in jungle captivity before being released by Abu Sayyaf militants in 2007.

Source: Xinhua