Men posing as ‘law enforcers’ abduct American in Zamboanga del Norte

An armed group posing as lawmen abducted an American in his house in Sibuco town in Zamboanga del Norte province on Thursday night, police confirmed on Friday.

In a statement, the Zamboanga Peninsula regional police said four armed men, “falsely presenting themselves as law enforcers, forcibly took” Elliot Onil Eastman, 26, from the family home at Sitio Tungawan in Barangay Poblacion, Sibuco, at 11 p.m.

“While he (Eastman) initially resisted, he was unfortunately shot in the leg and later taken aboard a boat heading towards the high seas,” it said.

Police said it had already “activated all available resources” to address the situation.

“We are coordinating fully with other law enforcement agencies, AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) counterparts and local authorities to ensure the swift resolution of this case,” it said.

The United States Embassy in Manila, in a statement, said that it was “aware” of the abduction in Zamboanga del Norte and had started coordinating with local authorities. It did not provide details.

“We generally do not comment on reports of potential kidnappings while investigations are ongoing,” Glenda Wallace, the acting spokesperson of the US Embassy in Manila, said in the statement.

Married to Pinay

“The US Department of State has no greater priority than the welfare and safety of US citizens abroad,” she added.

According to a radio interview with Police Col. Helen Galvez, spokesperson for the Zamboanga Peninsula police, the American is married to a Filipino woman and has been in the country for five months.

Galvez said the police had yet to identify the group behind the abduction.

She, however, assured residents of Sibuco that the police were “doing everything in our power to secure the safe recovery of the victim.”

The police sought the cooperation of residents and called on informants to come forward to help in the investigation.

“Your safety and security remain our top priorities, and we will continue to provide updates as we make progress in this case,” it said.

Past incidents

It was 23 years ago when the last known abduction of Americans in Mindanao gained wide attention in the media.

On May 27, 2001, Abu Sayyaf bandits abducted three Americans and 17 Filipinos from Dos Palmas Resort in Palawan province. They took the victims by boat to Basilan province.

Among the captives were property developer Reghis Romero II, 8-year-old RJ Recio and three Americans—Martin and Gracia Burnham, missionaries celebrating their wedding anniversary, and Guillermo Sobero, who was on holiday with his Filipino girlfriend.

Sobero, a tourist from Corona, California, was beheaded by the bandits on June 12, 2001, as an “Independence Day gift” to then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Gracia was rescued more than a year later, in June 2002, but her husband, Martin, was one of those who died in the operation.

Romero, Recio and other captives were later able to flee to safety.

Several months before the Dos Palmas kidnappings, in August 2000, American Jeffrey Schilling was also held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf. He was rescued in April 2001.

On Nov. 14, 1993, the Abu Sayyaf kidnapped American Charles Walton, a language researcher of the US-based Summer Institute of Linguistics.

Walton was released 23 days later in a remote village in Patikul, Sulu. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH