The Philippines has imposed a state of emergency on a remote southern island where an Islamic militant group holding three Red Cross workers has threatened to kill one of the captives.
"A state of emergency was declared on Jolo effective today at 9 a.m," said a text message from a senior military official.
The declaration, which puts all security forces on alert on the island and curtails the movement of people, came after local officials made a last minute appeal to the kidnappers to spare the lives of the three hostages.
Abdusakur Tan, governor of Sulu province, said he asked one of the leaders of the Abu Sayyaf group today to reconsider a threat to behead one of three hostages by 2 p.m. (0600 Irish time) after the government said it would be "physically impossible" to comply with rebel demands.
There was no immediate word on the fate of the hostages after the expiry of the deadline.
The al Qaeda-linked Muslim rebels had demanded the government remove all security forces in five towns on Jolo island in exchange for the freedom of one of the hostages. But, they also threatened to kill one if the demand was not met.
Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba, Swiss national Andreas Notter and Italian Eugenio Vagni, all staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), have been held in the jungles of Jolo since Jan. 15. They were abducted after a visit to a local prison where the Red Cross is funding a water project.
The government said it had complied earlier this month with rebel demands to move back the security cordon around them.
By Sunday, nearly 1,500 soldiers, police officers and armed civilian volunteers had moved back by about 15 km (9 miles) from the rebel position in the interior of southern Jolo island.
Reuters