Manila - The Philippine military denied on Wednesday that ransom was paid to secure the release of two of three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hostages seized by Islamic militants on a southern island.

Brigadier General Gaudencio Pangilinan, a military spokesman, said "no ransom or board-and-lodging fee" was paid for the release of Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba on April 2 and Swiss Andreas Notter on April 17.

Notter and Lacaba were abducted along with fellow ICRC worker Italian Eugenio Vagni on January 15 by Muslim Abu Sayyaf rebels on Jolo island, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila.

Only Vagni, who is reportedly suffering from a hernia injury, remains in the hands of the al-Qaeda-linked guerrillas.

"As far as we know, no ransom or board-and-lodging fee was paid for the release of both Miss Lacaba and Mr Notter," Pangilinan said, amid reports in Jolo that Abu Sayyaf guerrillas were looking for weapons' suppliers to buy new assault rifles.

"We in the armed forces and the police shall appreciate any information from anyone who can give explicit information regarding any ransom payment," he added.

Pangilinan said the priority of government forces on Jolo was to secure the release of the 62-year-old Vagni, who is said to be in need of immediate medical attention.

Notter has returned to his homeland on Tuesday, while Lacaba has been with her family in the southern city of Davao since her release.

The Abu Sayyaf rebels have been blamed for some of the worst terrorist attacks and high-profile kidnappings in the Philippines. They have beheaded hostages, including an American tourist abducted in 2001, when authorities failed to meet their demands.