The Abu Sayyaf militants have beheaded a kidnap victim, identified as Patrick Almodovar, who was abducted about a month ago in Barangay Asturias in Jolo, Sulu.
Major Filemon Tan, the spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines-Western Mindanao Command (AFP-WesMinCom), said that the decapitated head was wrapped in a plastic bag and was left by three alleged members of the Abu Sayyaf Group aboard a motorcycle.
The police recovered the head at around 7:30 pm on Wednesday in Barangay Kajatian, Indanan in Sulu Province.
The head was processed and investigated by the Scene of the Crime Operatives and the Indanan town police office. The authorities confirmed that the decapitated head was of Patrick Almodovar.
Major Tan said the family failed to pay the ransom amount demanded by the militants, which had set the deadline for August 24, 2016.
"There really was such an ultimatum, that they will kill the hostage if the deadline is not met," he told Interaksyon, an online news website.
Last April, the bandits killed a Canadian hostage, John Ridsdel, as the ransom deadline lapsed and later they executed another Canadian hostage, who was identified as Robert Hall.