Canada acknowledges Abu Sayyaf hostage probably dead

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau says his government will not pay any ransom for its kidnapped citizens after reports that a second Canadian victim was executed in the Philippines Image: Philippine police officer carries a bag with a severed head (AAP)

The death of Hall would be the second execution of a Canadian citizen by the militant group Abu Sayyaf in the country's south-west in recent months.

A former mining executive was killed in April.