German hostages plead for help

The hostages made their appeal in a message on Monday, on the local radio station DXRZ in Zamboanga City, 875 kilometers (545 miles) south of the capital, Manila.

According to media reports, the two were seized in April at gunpoint from a yacht between Malaysian Borneo and the southern Philippines.

The Abu Sayyaf group has demanded the German government cease its support of the ongoing military campaign against "Islamic State" (IS) in Iraq and Syria, and pay a $5 million (3.9 million euros) ransom for the pair. Should their demands not be met, they have said they will behead the captives on October 10.

"We appeal to the Philippine and German governments, do all they can because we are living in a difficult situation," said the 55-year-old female captive. "The situation here is very, very stressful. We are not sure how long we can cope."

"The jungle is very dangerous," she added.

The 74-year-old male hostage, who identified himself as a doctor, said his medical condition had deteriorated because they had been sleeping on wet ground since being taken captive.

"I fear for myself," he said.

Abu Sayyaf rose to prominence in the early 2000s through the kidnapping of foreigners. Officials in the Philippines accuse the group of attempting to capitalize on the media attention surrounding IS.

The Philippines armed forces chief, General Gregoria Catapang, said the government would not pressured by militants' demands.

"We are doing our best to locate and rescue them," he said while on a visit to Zamboanga City. "We don't want them to be collateral damage in this conflict."

dr/jr (Reuters, dpa)