Foreign hostages in S. Philippines appeal for ransom payment

Three male foreign hostages, along with a female Filipino, have appealed that their ransom be paid within a month in order to be freed and not be killed by militants who have been holding them since September last year.

The appeal was made through a video posted Thursday on Facebook wherein the two Canadians, a Norwegian and a Filipino were all kneeling on the ground while their armed captors were behind them.

One of the hostages identifying himself as John Ridsdel asked his family, the Canadian government and its people to "please, do as needed to meet their demands, within one month or they will kill me, they will execute us."

The two other foreigners, Canadian Robert Hall and Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, made the same appeal.

One of the captors, whose face was covered and who spoke in English, said the ransom demand should be fulfilled by April 8.

The amount of the ransom was not mentioned, but in previous video, the suspects, belonging to terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group, were demanding 1 billion pesos (21.46 million U.S. dollars) for each foreigner.

The four hostages were seized in a resort in the island city of Samal in southern Philippines in September last year. Endit