Marites Flor, the 38-year-old hostage who was freed on Fri, Jun 24, offers a glimpse into what it’s like to be held captive by militant Abu Sayyaf Group.
According to this Philstar.com report, she and the rest of the group that was kidnapped in Samal Island last year had been sleeping in handcuffs and chained feet.
“She confessed that she was beaten up by the bandits and they were ‘treated like dogs’,” reports Christine C. Cudis.
“Maraming beses kaming nagpalipat-lipat, hindi namin alam kung saan. Naglalakad lang kami,” Flor added.
(“We were continously being moved to different places by foot. We didn’t have a clue where we were.”)
When Abu Sayyaf members woke Flor to tell her that she was being escorted, she recalled how the two men in her group — Canadians John Ridsel and her reported boyfriend Robert Hall — were also woken up at dawn and later beheaded.
From the Samal Island kidnapping, only Kjartan Sekkingstad, a Norwegian, remains in the hands of Abu Sayyaf.
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