ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines -- The body of murdered public school head teacher Gabriel Canizares was found near a military camp in Patikul town, Sulu, on Monday, five hours after, and two kilometers away from the place where his severed head was found.

Canizares’ head was found near the Jolo police station in Sulu on Monday morning and his body was found near the main gate of a military camp in Patikul town.

Canizares was abducted by armed men suspected to be Abu Sayyaf bandits on October 19. But his case got less media attention as it was overshadowed by the kidnapping of Irish priest Michael Sinnott in Pagadian City on Oct. 11.

Chief Insp. Amil Bahing Banaan, acting spokesperson of the police in Sulu, said Canizares' head was found inside a backpack, which was owned by the victim, and was left near a gasoline station in Jolo town at around 5:30 a.m.

The gasoline station, just a few meters away from the victim's residence in the village of San Raymundo, is just across the Jolo police station, which is beside the Jolo Municipal Hall.

At around 11 a.m., the rest of Canizares' body was found dumped near the gates of the 3rd Marine Brigade headquarters in the village of Gandasuli in Patikul, or some two kilometers away from where his severed head was found.

"We are all having these mixed feelings-- we are very angry, we are very sad, we are very afraid, we feel so hopeless and helpless when we learned about the brutal killing of our colleague," Eufremio Canaria, Sulu's education department supervisor, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone.

Canaria said the victim's "only fault" was to "dedicate his whole life to teaching, to education even in the areas where everyone is afraid to go and teach."

Canaria said prior to the killing, the victim's family and co-teachers had, for several times, received calls from the kidnappers demanding P2 million as ransom.

Canaria said the victim's family, co-teachers and friends were able to raise only P150,000.

Baanan said the kidnappers, believed to be led by Abu Sayyaf leader Raddulan Sahiron alias Kumander Putol, had lowered the ransom demand to P1 million and imposed a November 7 deadline.

"But still the family could not raise such an amount," Banaan said.

During the visit of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno here on Saturday, Abelardo Brutas Jr., deputy secretary general of the Teachers Organization of the Philippines Public Sector, complained that the government was giving more attention to the Sinnott kidnapping and had forgotten about Canizares.

But Puno denied this, saying the Canizares case was being handled by the local government. He said the Sinnott kidnapping had national government attention because of the alleged involvement of some Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels.

"We are talking about MILF members, so obviously it will rise to the level of national attention because there is a peace process ongoing," Puno said.

Lt. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, Western Mindanao Command chief, denied allegations that the government did not do anything to rescue the teacher.

"We have our troops on the ground and they are doing all they can to secure safely the head teacher. We cannot just make public our own efforts so as not jeopardize the safety of the victim," Dolorfino said in an interview on November 7.

On Saturday, Lt. Colonel Romeo Brawner Jr., the AFP spokesperson, expressed doubts about Canizares' case.

"It's not a simple kidnapping-for-ransom case. It might be something else and the demand for getting ransom is a cover up to something because the victim earlier reported receiving some threats," Brawner said on Saturday.

Mindanao State University Professor Octavio Dinampo, a former kidnapping victim, condemned the killing.

"I feel sad about it because the government, other than lip service, didn't do anything substantial to save Canizares, maybe because he is just a mere elementary school head teacher."

Canizares, 36, was recently appointed head teacher of the Kanagi Elementary School in Patikul town.

After receiving threats, Canizares requested Canaria to transfer him to the Department of Education’s division office in Jolo.

"I granted his request but despite the danger, Bong (the victim's nickname) still went with his colleagues in Kanagi to assess the situation and the teachers there until he was kidnapped on October 19," Canaria said.

Canaria said Canizares had complained about receiving threats three to four months before he was abducted.

Canizares had been a teacher for more that 10 years. He was the lone non-Muslim teacher in the Kanagi Elementary School.

"He (Canizares) was also active in other off-school activities like teaching his students some dances and regularly assisting the Patikul local government officials whenever they needed some performers in community programs," Canaria said.

"We were caught off-guard. We thought Patikul is peaceful given that a big chunk of the US government support was used in that town. The school where Canizares taught is a recipient of USAID's programs and projects," Canaria added.