Philippine Showbiz Today
November 22 - December 7, 2016
Jan. 22-Feb.7, 2015
9
Behind the scenes of efforts to
save the 2 Canadian hostages in PHL
On November 17, 2016, Vice
News Canada media organization
reported about extensive details in
the days leading to the execution
of two Canadian hostages in the
Philippines.
Vice News reported that the
day before the deadline set by Abu
Sayyaf gunmen in the Philippines
to behead Canadian hostage
John Ridsdel, PM Trudeau called
Phil.President Benigno Aquino
III, emphasizing that Canada
has a firm policy against paying
ransoms.
Exchanges on April 7
between Trudeau and Aquino are
contained in documents obtained
by VICE News.
The kidnapping of the
two Canadians, Ridsdel and
Robert Hall gained international
attention.
The two men, along with a
Norwegian man and a Filipino
woman, had been kidnapped and
held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf
in the jungles of the southern
Philippines.
Ridsdel was executed on April
25, while Hall later on June 13.
According to emails regarding
the call between the two leaders,
Trudeau “expressed appreciation
for efforts to date, that threat was
credible, and that we have a firm
no-ransom policy”.
Trudeau had yet to publicly
acknowledge that Canada was
refusing to pay the hostage-takers.
It was only after Ridsdel was killed
on April 25 that Trudeau publicly
emphasized that policy, said the
report.
Abu Sayyaf had threatened
in a March 10 video to execute
Ridsdel on April 8 if their previous
demands of $100 million
Philippine Pesos (about CAD $2.7
million) for the hostages weren’t
met.
According to the emails,
“Canada believes the threat to
all the hostages is real: The April
8 deadline is credible with the
Filipino hostage and one of the
Canadians most at risk.”
The emails also reveal that
while Canada was publicly warning
that the ransom deadline was
firm, officials wondered behind
the scenes whether that was in
fact the case.
After the March 10 video
emerged online, the Philippine
Ambassador
suggested
to
Canadian officials that Foreign
Affairs Minister Stephane Dion
should speak with Philippine
Foreign Secretary of the day
Jose Rene Dimataga Almendras,
who had just been appointed,
saying “it would be a wise step for
Canada to take if we are to secure
Philippines buy-in”.
On March 11, Canadian
officials marked this phone call
“high” importance and said it
should happen at the earliest
opportunity “including over the
weekend if possible”.
Robert Hall and John Ridsdel
But the urgent call fell to the
wayside as another government
department decided “not to
pursue”. The news organization
added that it was only after a
terse email on March 17 from
the Canadian official who first
suggested the call that it was
finally arranged.
When the call took place
March 21 in the late evening, it
was “very cordial” and lasted just
over 10 minutes. Dion stuck to
similar talking points as Trudeau.
On April 14, which was only
days before Ridsdel was killed,
there was a news report that the
U.S. had sent 300 troops and
combat aircraft to the Philippines
in response to China’s increased
presence in the South China Sea.
“This one may well impact the
critical incident [the kidnappings],
i.e. provide a handy excuse, if
demands are not met, even if
US (temporary) deployments
including reportedly of special ops
elements, are related ostensibly to
countering Chinese heft, not ISIS-
affiliated or wannabe groups,”
one email reads, according to
Vice News.●