Archbishop Antonio Franco met with Estrada and Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon. “We share that concern,” said Siazon, who accompanied the archbishop during the meeting. “We are of course disappointed that after several weeks, the hostages are still where they are.”

On April 23, the Abu Sayyaf rebels abducted 21 people from a Malaysian resort island and brought them to the Philippines. They are seeking $21 million for the release of the hostages, including seven Europeans, two South Africans, a Lebanese, nine Malaysians, and two Filipinos. The rebels are also demanding the creation of a Muslim homeland in the south of the mainly Catholic country.

Presidential spokesman Ricardo Puno told reporters after Estrada’s meeting with the papal nuncio that: “Nobody is saying that we’re all satisfied with the progress of the negotiations right now.” He added, “We understand where the papal nuncio was coming from and we appreciate his indications of concern. We disagree with some of the conclusions he may be making and we do not think his statement should be interpreted as any adverse comment on the way that the country is handling the matter.” Puno was apparently referring to the nuncio’s call for peace in the southern Philippines between the government and rebels.

At the beginning of July, the rebels also took captive 13 Protestant ministers who had attempted to contact them. At first police were not sure if the ministers were actually held captive. “Our information is that they will stay there for three days. If it goes beyond three days, then they are no longer staying there voluntarily,” provincial police chief Colonel Candido Casimiro said.

The rebels later claimed the preachers had decided to stay with them for 40 days of prayer, but then referred to them as hostages.

Thirteen “spiritual warriors” from the Manila-based Jesus Miracle Crusade group, carrying “gifts” of cash and rice for the rebels, walked into the jungle lair chanting the name of Jesus and prayed for the release of the hostages. Casimiro said the rebels sent word to a local journalist that the evangelists had “requested” to stay in the forest “for 40 days” so they could fast and pray.

Meanwhile, Abu Sayyaf moved the last three of dozens of hostages kidnapped from a Catholic school in the southern Philippines in March.

A spokesman for the rebels said they had taken two female teachers and a 15-year-old boy from the southern island of Basilan to Sulu. Many of the hostages were rescued by government troops in May, although five were killed by the rebels, including a priest.