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Hostages alive, but not out of dangerBy Cara Baker Apostolic Filipino pastor Wilde Almeda and his ministerial staff, among 19 hostages held by Muslim extremists, are believed to be alive, the Philippine Inquirer reported today. "There has been many changes since [this weekend] that is nothing short of a miracle," Almeda's son-in-law Luke Smith, of Evansville, Ind., said. However, the hostages are not yet out of danger. Due to a gag order, a government official withholding his name informed the Inquirer the hostages are being kept as human shields by various factions of the Abu Sayyaf group, with Almeda and his staff in Mujib Susukan in Bud Agahon in Indanan town. "There are no reports that they were killed," Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Angelo Reyes told the Philippines News Agency today (http://www.pna.ops.gov.ph/). Clinging to the hope the hostages are still alive, 2,000 members of Almeda's congregation, the Jesus Miracle Crusade (JMC), rallied in prayer yesterday for the safe release of the hostages and urged the Filipino President Joseph Estrada to stop his assult on the Muslim extremists that began on Friday. Apostolic
Hostages Feared Dead in Phillippines
By
Cara Baker Unconfirmed
reports of Apostolic Filipino leader Wilde Almeda and his ministerial staff
being killed surfaced this weekend, following Filipino army assaults Friday on
Muslim extremist bases. Filipino
armies began an assault on the bases of extremists Friday to end a
five-month-long hostage crisis, CNN.com
reported. CNN could not confirm reports about the status of the hostages. CNN
reported 17 extremists had been captured, while the hostages remaining, dead or
alive, include three Malaysians, one Filipino captured in April, two French
journalists, an American Muslim, and 12 Filipino Christian evangelists (Almeda
and his staff). Almeda’s
son-in-law, Luke Smith, said Filipino Apostolic missionary Jose Quiboloy called
with grim news this weekend from Manila. “Bro. Quiboloy said it’s
unconfirmed, but they’ve been put in front of a firing squad,” Smith said
Saturday from Evansville, Ind. “I’m not trying to hear that; I’m waiting
for some good news. But it doesn’t sound too good. I’m just going to pray
about it, wait a day and see how it is when the smoke clears.” Quiboloy
also called Bishop G.D. Peters, former AWCF foreign missions director, with the
latest. “They think they’ve all been killed,” Peters said. “I don’t
know if that’s true or not. I hope not.” Almeda
and 12 of his ministerial staff went to the rebel camp, against the wishes of
the government, to pray and fast for the release of the 21 hostages taken five
months ago at a resort hotel by the Muslim rebels, the Apostolic
World Christian Fellowship web site reports. Smith said one of the ministers
was later released. Filipino
president Joseph Estrada said he abandoned months of negotiations and ordered
the attack after the extremists continued to seize new hostages, CNN.com
reported. The group, Muslim Abu Sayyaf extremists, claims it is fighting for an
independent Islamic state in the impoverished south. "Enough is
enough," Estrada said (CNN). "We will not allow kidnappers or other
lawless elements to mock our laws or control our lives." AWCF.org said Philippine television and newspapers reported Almeda’s condition this week as very weak from fasting and that he may have suffered a stroke. Almeda
pastors the Jesus Miracle Crusade Church in Manila, Philippines, with a weekly
attendance of 40,000. With a nationwide television ministry two hours a day,
more than a million Filipinos claim to be followers of Almeda. ninetyandnine.com
ă 2000, ninetyandnine.com --------- Cara Baker currently
lives in Ohio. Have an opinion on an article? Let us know how you feel! Click feedback & fill us in. |
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