MANILA, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines rejected the Abu Sayyaf group's demand for ransom for the release of two Indonesian and a Malaysian hostages abducted in December last year when they were fishing in southern Philippines, the spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte said on Friday.
"We are doing our best to secure the release of (the Malaysian and Indonesian) hostages from the evil hands of the Abu Sayyaf group, but we stand firm on our no ransom policy," presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
"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," he added.
Panelo said the militants "continue to be on the run as a result of the order of (Duterte) to the military to crush them."
