An American being held by Muslim kidnappers in the southern Philippines was seen alive Tuesday and some of the other 21 hostages have also been sighted since a military onslaught began, officials said.
"Schilling is safe" as of Tuesday, said one senior aide who asked not to be identified. "He was eyeballed (seen) alive."
The official would give no details of the whereabouts of Jeffrey Schilling, 24, and stressed he had not been rescued from his Abu Sayyaf captors, who have split their captives into three or four groups.
Troops mounting the ground and air attack in Jolo island since Saturday have seen some of the captives, presidential spokesman Ricardo Puno said.
"We can't tell you who among them, or how many or where they were seen," he told AFP. "But they are alive."
It was not clear when the others, apart from Schilling, were sighted.
Armed forces spokesman Brigadier General Generoso Senga said on ABS-CBN television that many hostages were seen "in several instances while in the course of operations there."
Estrada himself appeared unaware of the reported sightings. He said he believed the three Malaysians, two Frenchmen, one American, and 16 Filipinos were still alive, as no bodies had been found.
Two OV-10 aircraft took off from the southern city of Zamboanga Tuesday morning, each armed with a 260 lb (118-kg) bomb, in an indication that air attacks continue.
Estrada's gamble to crush the kidnap-for-ransom gang which has humiliated his government for months enjoys wide domestic support and a degree of sympathy overseas, apart from France which has strongly objected.
But analysts say it must show results soon. Spokesman Senga said despite the hostage sightings, "up to now we have not been able to catch up with them (kidnappers)."
He reported only seven rebels killed and 20 captured, despite the massive firepower and 4,000 troops deployed, and indicated for the first time that some may have slipped into nearby Basilan island.
"There are reports that small groups of suspected Abu Sayyaf members have fled to Basilan but we are still verifying these," Senga said. "Our naval vessels are continuing their blockade and we are striving to prevent any escape."
Puno described Estrada's order to crush the rebels and free the captives within a week as "only a rough estimate" and said the timetable is up to the military commanders.
He told the radio there are "no 100 percent guarantees" of success in the mission but added that "for all intents and purposes the Abu Sayyaf is finished as a working kidnapping organization.
"Now they are on the run. They will not find sanctuary easily."
Four soldiers and three policemen have been wounded.
Four civilians are confirmed killed but there are fears the toll might grow in the interior of the jungle-clad island -- parts of which have come under fierce aerial, artillery and mortar bombardment.
"We are calling for a ceasefire so we could get wounded civilians out of the hinterlands," said Nelsa Amin, provincial health officer of Jolo.
She said she believed many civilians had been wounded but could not be brought out for treatment in Jolo town.
Amin, speaking in Zamboanga, said the military told her any ceasefire must be studied carefully.
"I'm really worried about the civilians," she told AFP. "We now have a lot of medical supplies, oxygen tanks and many medicines."
Naval boats that were supposed to ferry surgeons and medical supplies to Jolo had not arrived in Zamboanga by mid-afternoon.
The crisis began on April 23 with the abduction of 21 people from a resort on Sipadan island in neighbouring Malaysia.
All but one of those captives has been released but the Abu Sayyaf has been replenishing its pool of hostages even while negotiating with the government.
On September 10 it seized three Malaysians from another resort island, apparently triggering the army assault -- ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP)
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