Kidnapped priest released in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- An abducted Irish priest has been released by his Filipino captors, but police have vowed to continue the search for the gang.

Father Michael Sinnott's release comes several days after police found another kidnap victim's severed head in a bag at a gasoline station on the southern island of Mindanao, known for kidnappings and militant groups.

Philippine schoolteacher Gabriel Canizares, 36, was abducted by Abu Sayyaf militants three weeks ago, and his family refused to pay a ransom equivalent to $42,000.

Police said they have not recovered the body of Canizares.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus expressed shock at the teacher's killing. Several other teachers kidnapped by the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf earlier this year had been released despite the gang's threats to behead them.

Lapus told Philippine media that his department is doing its best to ensure security for public schoolteachers in high-risk areas. He also said he feared that the kidnappings and killings are discouraging teachers from working with underprivileged youths in Muslim areas on Mindanao.

Father Michael Sinnott, 79, was greeted by President Gloria Arroyo at the Villamor Military Air Base in Pasay City only hours after he was handed over by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The MILF, which had immediately denied it had abducted the priest, said it would work with authorities to find the long-time Philippine resident.

After his release Sinnott said his kidnappers had told him they were part of a "lost command" who were members of the MILF, media reports said.

Sinnott was taking a walk in his garden on Oct. 11 when men stormed his residence and hustled him into a waiting van that later was found abandoned along the coast. Fears for his health mounted during his abduction because he requires essential medication as a result from a heart bypass operation.

Sinnott, a native of Wexford, Ireland, was ordained in 1954 with the Missionary Society of St. Columban, an order that has been working with the poor of the Philippines since 1929. Despite the good work done by the Columbans, the order suffered a kidnapping in August 2001 that resulted in the death of Father Rufus Halley, murdered by his five abductors along a lonely stretch of coastal road.

A presidential spokesperson said that it was only a coincidence that Sinnott was released just ahead of the visit by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "If his release appeared to coincide with Clinton's visit, it was not intentional. But it is a good development in time for the visit."