ZAMBOANGA, Philippines: Two teenagers have been arrested for the kidnapping of a television crew in the southern Philippines, the military said on Monday.

The suspects, aged 14 and 18, were detained at a marine checkpoint on Jolo island on Friday in connection with the abduction last month of Manila television presenter Cecilia Drilon, two crew members and a local guide.

Military intelligence agents identified the teenagers as among the armed group that seized Drilon and her companions on Jolo on June 8, said marine spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Edgard Arevalo.

The hostages secretly filmed their captors during their nine-day ordeal, providing the authorities with invaluable evidence, Arevalo added.

The group was eventually freed unharmed after Drilon's family paid a ransom.

The mayor of the Jolo town of Indanan, Alvarez Isnaji, and a son were arrested last month and charged as masterminds in the abduction.

- AFP/yb