Suspected members of the extremist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) executed a Basilan cooperative employee and two others whom they kidnapped in Sumisip town late last month, officials confirmed Saturday.

But local security officials are eyeing that the killing of Claudio Mananita, employee of the Manggal Agrarian Reform Beneficiary and Development Cooperative; Rolando Francisco Jr.; and Dariel Quintela could be a retaliatory move to an earlier clash that left two bandits dead and two others wounded.

Senior Superintendent Antonio Mendoza, Basilan Police director, said the cadavers of Mananita, Francisco, and Quintela were retrieved by military operatives in the boundary of Barangays Sukaten and Daken in Sumisip town Saturday morning.

Mendoza said that it was in Barangay Sukaten where a large band of suspected ASG members retreated when they were engaged by Marine commandos in Barangay Baiwas at around 8:30 a.m. on Friday.

Military reports revealed that two ASG members died while two others were wounded in the clash that lasted for nearly two hours. Two soldiers were confirmed to have been wounded in the same encounter.

“It appeared that the Abu Sayyaf bandits ran amuck, we were informed that they were shooting even civilians that crossed paths with them, like what happened in Isabela City,” said Mendoza in a phone interview, referring to the Isabela City attack that left at least 14 civilians dead in a series of blast and clashes two months ago.

“After that encounter (in Barangay Baiwas) the cadavers of the three kidnap victims were discovered,” he added.

Mendoza said they learned of the execution after Sumisip Mayor Haber Asarul called him up at around 10 a.m. Saturday.

On May 27, at least 30 suspected ASG members led by Furuji Indama, the highest-ranking bandit commander in Basilan, flagged down a passenger jeepney in Sitio Mompol, Barangat Libug in Sumisip town and took the three victims.

Mendoza confirmed that the abductors demanded P1-million ransom for the release of Francisco through a series of text messages sent to his parents using his cellular phone.

Basilan Vice Governor Alrasheed Sakkahalul, head of the Crisis Management Committee negotiating for the release of the victims, said the three were killed between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday.

“They were not beheaded, they were shot,” said Sakkahalul in a separate phone interview.

Sakkahalul theorized that the kidnap victims were killed after their respective families failed to raise the P1-million ransom demanded by their abductors.

“Another reason is that there is on-going military operation in the area and the kidnappers might have thought that they could easily be detected if the victims will be with them,” said Sakkahalul.

The local official said that the last contact established with the kidnappers was the day after the abduction on May 27, but stressed that the communication was between the kidnappers and the family of Francisco.

“We sent emissary but they (kidnappers) opted to directly contact the relatives of the victims, so we do not exactly if that P1 million ransom is only for Francisco or for the three,” said Sakkahalul.

Sakkahalul said that the cadavers of the three victims were recovered by military operatives.

Mendoza, for his part, said that the three cadavers were immediately taken to the headquarters of the Philippine Marines in Sumisip town and will be turned over to their respective families after the investigation.