Al Rashid Sakalahul, the deputy governor of the Muslim province of Basilan, who helped in the negotiations for Rodwell’s freedom, said the money was used to buy the foreigner’s freedom. “It was Rodwell’s wife who really worked hard for this negotiation to succeed and they paid four million pesos to the kidnappers,” he told the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner late on Saturday.
Sakalahul said he did not know where the money was sourced, but the kidnappers initially wanted P7 million and lowered this to P6.5 million and eventually agreeing to only P4 million. “It was really a tough negotiation, but in the end, with God’s help we managed to secure the release of Rodwell,” he said.
He said he made the admission to douse speculations that he benefitted from the ransom payment made by Rodwell’s wife Miraflor Gutang and her brother Roger.
“I don’t want to be accused by anyone that I benefited from this negotiation that’s why I came with this admission. My only mission is to save the life of Rodwell by getting him out from the Abu Sayyaf,” he said.
Sakalahul said the Philippines or Australian authorities can investigate his claim or even ask Rodwell’s wife about the ransom payment.
“I am clean. My conscience is clean and I swear to God that I never benefited any single centavo from this negotiation, and even in the past where I also negotiated for the safe release of other kidnapped victims, I never got any money for my own. I cannot stomach dirty money and use this to feed my family and God is my witness,” he said.
The Philippines and Australia both have a strict no-ransom policy. (Mindanao Examiner)
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