Agusan Sur mayor abducted by suspected NPA rebels

BUTUAN CITY, Agusan del Sur, Philippines — (UPDATED) Armed men believed to be communist New People’s Army rebels abducted reelectionist Mayor Dario Otaza of Loreto town in Agusan del Sur  from his residence in Barangay Baan Riverside here between 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Monday.

Agusan del Sur Vice Gov. Sante Cane, a political ally of Otaza, said the mayor and his son Daryl, 27, were forcibly taken at gunpoint by men who claimed to be  agents of the National Bureau of Investigation.

But Cane said  it was too early to blame the communist rebels for the abduction.  Otaza, 53, himself a former rebel, was an outspoken critic of the NPA and has vowed to crush  the communist presence in his town, an NPA stronghold in the province.

Otaza and his son, Daryl, were taken from their  residence in Baan village in Butuan City at about 6:50 p.m., Undersecretary Emmanuel Bautista of the Cabinet Cluster on Security, Justice, and Peace, said.

“Mayor Otaza is himself a former rebel and a member of the Manobo indigenous people’s group. Since his surrender, he has been a partner of government in ensuring that the gains of inclusive growth reach the broadest spectrum of his constituents,” Bautista said in a statement sent to the Philippine Daily Inquirer late Monday night.

Bautista, a former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said that Otaza was instrumental in the surrender of 154 NPA rebels last May.

Otaza was also actively involved in the national government’s Serbisyo Caravan (Service Caravan) that has been bringing to the indigenous peoples basic government services.

“The mayor then put up programs that were instrumental in ensuring that rebel returnees like himself get the necessary support as they transition back into the mainstream. Several NPA rebels who enjoy kinship with Mayor Otaza through the IP network have indicated a desire to reenter formal society because of the Mayor’s integrity, credibility, and the success of his programs,” Bautista said.

In an interview with the Inquirer during the service caravan in Loreto last May, Otaza said that he and his wife joined the underground movement in the fight against Martial Law. The Otazas resurfaced in 1986 after the restoration of democracy.

“We fought for democracy and when it was restored, it was time to return to the government,” Otaza had said.

“Abductions such as these, especially of upright, development-oriented public servants who are well-respected in their community, have no place in a civilized society. This only goes to show the lengths to which those who wish to obstruct our efforts towards peace and development will go through, in order to fulfill their agenda. We join the people of Loreto in condemning this incident,” Bautista said.

The military is conducting pursuit operations to rescue Otaza and his son.  SFM