The Philippine Online Chronicles

A month after his abduction, Irish priest Michael Sinnot was freed by his captors before dawn today.

Sinnot was rescued at 4:30 a.m. at Sangali Village, Zamboanga City by members of rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and was turned over to government peace negotiators soon after.

Mohagher Iqbal, chief negotiator for the MILF, refused to name the group behind Sinnot's abduction, saying that “it was part of the deal” made for the priest's release.

At around 6:00 a.m. Sinnot was brought to the Western Mindanao Command headquarters for medical tests. Wesmincom Chief Lt.Gen. Ben Dolorfino described the priest to be “disoriented but quite healthy.”

Sinnot will reportedly fly to Manila later today to meet with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in Malacañang.

The 78-year-old Sinnot was abducted by six unidentified armed men at Missionary of St. Columban House in Pagadian City on October 11.

On October 31, the priest appeared on video relaying his captors' US$2 million (P93.31 million) ransom demand. Despite this, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) insisted its support for the government's 'no ransom policy.'

Armed Forces of the Philippines Spokesman Lt.Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. maintained that no ransom was paid for the Columban priest's release.

In an interview, Sinnot said that his captors treated him well and made him sleep in a "duyan" (cot). He shared that his kidnappers called themselves the "lost command."