Mayor Soc advises news blackout on kidnap

THE family of Cebuano kidnap victim Virgilio Fernandez has asked for a news blackout of development of the case in Basilan per advice of Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez.

The mayor is a cousin of Virgilio, who was kidnapped by suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits last Saturday in Lamitan City , Basilan.

The family later informed a local TV news program that Mayor Fernandez had instructed them not to talk to the media anymore.

Cebu Daily News earlier reported the plea of the engineer’s wife Shirley who said she was trying to reach Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Mayor Fernandez for help.

But Governor Garcia yesterday said she was waiting for a family representative to approach her.

“The proper thing to do is if a person wishes to ask something from me, ari diri. Abli man ang opisina sa gobernador, abyerto man na,” she said.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he would ask his friends from the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to help locate the kidnapped engineer.

Rama said this was the only help he could think of for now since he was not in a position to discuss the issue on ransom.

“The need for ransom has to be carefully handled. In effect, the national government should be involved,” he said.

Rama said he was trying to get in touch with ARMM Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu and the Office of the Muslim Affairs (OMA) to check on the circumstance of the kidnap and identify the group behind it.

Senior Supt. Ager Ontog, chief of Police Regional Office (PRO-7), said police can only facilitate request of the family of the kidnap victim here in Central Visayas to Mindanao policemen./Correspondents Carine M. Asutilla, Carmel Loise Matus, Chito O. Aragon and Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac