President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday said he will appeal to Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader Nur Misuari to talk to the Abu Sayyaf after the terrorist group threatened to behead three of their foreign hostages.

“Well, that’s part of the mission of --- then I would appeal to Nur Misuari to stop it,” Duterte said in an ambush interview in Malacanang.

“And tell the Abu Sayyaf that, ‘Look we’re talking. Don’t make it hard for us to seek peace in our land’,” he added.

A Malaysian news agency reported that the ASG threatened to behead a Malaysian and two Indonesian fishermen if their ransom is not paid.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, in a statement, said they are doing their best to secure release of hostages from the terrorist group but they stand firm on the government’s no-ransom policy.

“To give in to the demands of terrorists and other lawless groups would embolden them to engage in more abductions that would allow them to conduct extremist and other criminal activities as they could buy more arms and weapons,” said Panelo.

“The ASG continues to be on the run as a result of the order of the President to the military to crush them. Our security forces are hunting them in the wild forests of Mindanao to unleash their might and blow them to kingdom come,” he added.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said military operation to rescue the victims abducted by the Abu Sayyaf will continue. Ella Dionisio/DMS