People power stops another kidnap

ZAMBOANGA CITY— People power saved three teachers from abduction by unidentified armed men in a village here, the military said Friday.

Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang, spokesperson of the Western Mindanao Command, said the teachers were inside their classrooms at Limaong Elementary School in Sitio Tiqui on Thursday afternoon when the armed men arrived and attempted to snatch them.

Supt. Edwin de Ocampo, city police director, identified the teachers as Maria Riza dela Cruz, 30; Maria Lerma Cabiles, 27, and Kristine Mae Mariano, 25.

He said the teachers were about to take a break past  3 p.m. when six masked gunmen emerged and dragged them.

“There was a commotion and villagers saw they were being forcibly dragged,” said De Ocampo. Some of those who saw what was happening happened to be militiamen who fired warning shots, he said.

The armed men persisted but decided to abandon the teachers when they reached the shoreline, where more villagers—some armed with machetes—were waiting, he said.

“They fled and the only thing they got were personal belongings like the bags of the teachers,” De Ocampo said.

Abelardo Brutas, secretary general of the Teachers Organization of the Philippine Public Sector (TOPPS), said the incident showed that threats of kidnapping against teachers continued.

In 2009, three teachers were also kidnapped near Pangapuyan Island here while they were heading for downtown aboard a motorboat.

Also in 2009, Sulu teacher Gabriel Canizares was kidnapped and later beheaded by members of the Abu Sayyaf. His case remains unsolved.

“Please make sure that our teachers in far-flung villages are properly secured and protected,” said Brutas.

Thursday’s foiled kidnapping occurred even as Western Mindanao authorities were still dealing with two other kidnapping cases—that of Australian Warren Richard Rodwell and Filipino-American teenager Kevin Lunsmann.

In the Rodwell kidnapping, Australian Embassy officials had secretly met with military, police and Zamboanga Sibugay officials, including Gov. Rommel Jalosjos, on Tuesday.

But Jalosjos said Canberra was not intervening in efforts to rescue the 53-year-old native of Strathfield in New South Wales.

“They were just touching base basically, and I gave them assurance of full support including the information they needed,” he said.

Rodwell, a retired Australian Army soldier, was inside the house he bought in Ipil town after marrying 27-year-old local Miraflor Gutang, when snatched by armed men on Dec. 5.

Miraflor said the kidnappers had not made any contact.

Lunsmann was abducted from Tictabon Island here with his mother Gerfa Yeatts and a Filipino relative Romnick Jakaria in July. Julie Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao