Cagayan de Oro City – The Philippine Navy has set up naval blockades in coastal areas in Jolo and nearby Sulu towns to prevent the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) from escaping by sea as some 1,000 troops from the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police (PNP) and several civilian volunteer groups pressed their hunt for the bandits holding an Italian Red Cross worker.

The government’s ground security forces, backed with earth-moving equipment, specifically cordoned off three areas in Sulu to prevent the fleeing ASG fighters who are currently holding the remaining International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) volunteer Eugenio Vagni from escaping.

The AFP Western Mindanao Command (WestMincom) withheld the three areas as tactical movement is going on.

Saturday was Vagni’s 101st day of captivity by the ASG. The WestMincom said it is still prioritizing the safety of the remaining hostage.

The government, through Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, dangled on Thursday a P500,000 reward for anyone who could give the exact location of ICRC Vagni in Sulu province.

The fate of the ICRC worker was still not known as of press time, even as several unconfirmed reports reaching at the command center of WestMincom based in Zamboanga Peninsula indicated that Vagni was still alive.

Earlier reports even said that the 62-year-old Vagni has been abandoned by his captors in Indanan because he was already unable to walk because of his illness, hernia.

The joint pursuing forces of the AFP and PNP last spotted the group of ASG leader Albader Parad in Talipao area. Parad is reportedly the lead of the group holding Vagni.

On Wednesday, pursuing government forces clashed with the ASG bandits as they allegedly tried to breach a security cordon in a jungle in Jolo and attempted to link with Radulan Sahiron, another noted ASG leader based in Patikul, Sulu.

However, no one was reported hurt in that incident.

Director General Jesus Verzosa, PNP chief, said that the local crisis management committee handling the hostage crisis is ready to hand over the reward of P500,000 for anyone who could give the exact location of Vagni.

“We will give a P500,000 reward to anyone who could help lead us to Mr. Vagni’s exact whereabouts,” said Verzosa.

Vagni was abducted along with fellow ICRC colleagues Swiss Andreas Notter and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba last Jan. 15 while on a humanitarian mission in Jolo. Lacaba was freed on April 2 while Notter was safely recovered by authorities on April 18.

On Wednesday, Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan, chairperson of the multi-agency Local Crisis management Committee (LCMC), gave the “green light” for the government security forces to launch rescue operations for Vagni.