ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Police and civilian emergency forces (CEF) rescued two community workers from Abu Sayyaf bandits in Sulu province, a police official said Friday.

Superintendent Jose Bayani Gucela, spokesman of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations (Dipo)-West, said the two kidnap victims were rescued around 9 p.m. Thursday in the village of Sinumaan, Talipao, Sulu.

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Gucela said the victims were identified as Aspin Giminsil, 39, of the Zamboanga City-based Alliance of Mindanao Off-grid Renewable Energy (Amore), and Kadspar Abduhassan, 22, of the Jolo-based Integrated Learning for Moslem Highlanders (Ilmoh).

Gucela said the victims were rescued seven hours after a group of Abu Sayyaf bandits led by Mukambiyan Sakilan seized them in the village of Upper Kabuntayan in Talipao town.

He said residents of Sinumaan village pointed police to the victims’ whereabouts.

The victims were immediately brought to the headquarters of the Sulu Police Provincial Office (SPPO) for debriefing, Gucela said.

In Jolo municipality, the same bandits are still holding captive Eugenio Vagni, an Italian national, and a water system specialist of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Vagni entered his 149th day in captivity Friday. He and two others, Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba and Swiss Andreas Notter - who have since been released, were seized by the bandits in Patikul, Sulu province. (Bong Garcia/Sunnex)