French Journalists Escape Rebel Captors in Philippines

M A N I L A, Philippines, Sept. 20 -- Two French televisionjournalists were to fly home from the Philippines todayafter escaping from Muslim rebel captors under cover ofdarkness and spending a nerve-racking night hiding in thejungles under pouring rain.

They were among 19 hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf rebelson the southern island of Jolo and said they slipped away inthe confusion as the guerrillas fled under the onslaught of amilitary assault.

Local residents said they feared scores of civilians hadbeen killed in the relentless bombardment of rebel bases, whichentered the fifth day today.

Reports of Wedding Party Killed

One woman, fleeing Jolo to nearby Zamboanga, said 10 peopleattending a wedding party were killed in a direct hit.

Earlier in the day, one man was killed and six were woundedwhen a bomb exploded on a ferry at Zamboanga, the military’sstaging area for its assault. Police said the victim appearedto have been holding the bomb when it went off prematurely.

Jean-Jacques Le Garrec, 46, and Roland Madura, 49, lookedwell, happy but tense as they relived their ordeal at a pressconference in Manila, sitting next to President Joseph Estrada,beaming from the boost their fortuitous return has given him.

Estrada said he was confident the other hostages would soonbe released, including an American, Jeffrey Schilling.

“There are serious and promising efforts to seek therelease of all the hostages,” armed forces chief General AngeloReyes told the news conference at Manila’s presidential palace.

“The directive of the president is we should finish the jobtomorrow or latest within one week.”

Le Garrec said a group of Filipino evangelists also takenhostage were safe and in good shape, although their leader,Wilde Almeda, was weak from 40 days of fasting.

The other captives, held by separate rebel factions, arethree Malaysians and another Filipino.

Civilians Hit

Le Garrec, a cameraman for France-2 television, later toldReuters he and Madura would have been freed on Saturday if themilitary had not launched the assault. He said as far as heknew no rebel was hit by the bombardment although manycivilians were.