The military said on Thursday that kidnapped Irish priest, Fr. Michael Sinnott, who was seen bloodied by some witnesses, is still alive, while four of the six armed men who forcibly took him Sunday night have already been identified by authorities.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman, Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., at the same time, said that the military has infused more soldiers into the area to ensure that the kidnappers will not escape or transfer to Basilan or Sulu.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) also denied that one of its commanders was holding Sinnott, while insisting it wanted to help rescue him.

The military said a notorious pirate had kidnapped Sinnott, 79, from his home in the southern Philippines on Sunday and may have passed him on to a local commander for the separatist MILF.

It also said Wednesday that Sinnott was being held in a remote area that is known to be an MILF stronghold.

''We do not deny the fact that there is a presence of the MILF in the area and an MILF community there but it is not true that the MILF is holding the priest,'' the group's spokesman, Eid Kabalu, said in response on Thursday.

Brawner said the military has also enhanced naval blockade around the area of Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte. He said that six ships had already been fielded by the Navy to conduct naval patrol.

“We have already placed in troops along the possible route of escape of the suspects,” he said.

“Initially we have fielded in four ships to do a naval blockade but we have enhanced this with more resources,” he said.

According to Brawner, those who took the Irish priest belong to a kidnap-for-ransom group, whose leader, Guingona Samal, is a known pirate involved in many other crimes aside from kidnapping.

Brawner said that the local crisis management committee (CMC) is now in the process of communicating with the kidnappers, and the AFP, as a member of the crisis committee, will follow whatever the CMC tells them. (with report from AFP)