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ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP) - Kidnappers have freed a hotelier and his daughter after four days in captivity in the southern Philippines, according to officials.
Wilson Tan and his 10-year-old daughter, Jennifer, were released late Sunday near the village of Sapalan in Maguindanao, on the troubled southern island of Mindanao.
"The victims were released unharmed," said army spokesman for Maguindanao province Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Ponce.
"We don't know if they paid ransom or not," he added.
No group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, but the military implicated rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The kidnappers originally demanded 10 million pesos (S$325,068) in ransom for the safe release of the captives. The family of the victims did not say whether they paid any money.
Tan, in his 50s, and his daughter, were seized by four gunmen on February 18 in their house in Cotabato City.
Tan's wife, Janet, was hit on the head with a gun by the kidnappers before they escaped.
The abduction came as security forces continued the hunt for Abu Sayyaf militants holding a Sri Lankan national, Umar Jaleel, on the island of Basilan and three members of the International Committee of the Red Cross, on Jolo island.
Kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative business for rebels and criminal gangs in the southern Philippines. -AFP
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