Manila - A Catholic priest who claims he had been kidnapped alongside of more than 240 hostages by fighters linked to the Islamic State in the Philippines appealed Tuesday to President Rodrigo Duterte to stop the vicious terror spree. In a video that surfaced on Facebook, Rev. Teresito "Chito" Suganob, Vicar General of the Prelature of Marawi, pleaded to Duterte to consider the lives of the hostages, most of whom are Christian. He asked the president to stop the airstrikes and air attacks. In the past week, gunmen linked to Isnilon Hapilon, a commander of the Abu Sayyaf militant group who has pledged allegiance to ISIS, swept into Marawi City on the island of Mindanao, burning buildings, seizing Suganob and his worshippers and raising the black flag of the terror group. "Mr. President, please follow your heart, please consider us," he said, according to MindaNews. "You know it is hard. Mr. President, from time to time we hear the outburst of guns from your ground of enemies; heavy firearms from your side. It is hard."
