Newsbriefs

KIDAPAWAN CITY

Student freed

A college student abducted in Midsayap, North Cotabato, was freed by his captors on Wednesday morning, police said.

Senior Superintendent Danilo Peralta, North Cotabato police director, said Mark Anthony Baya, 19, was left by his captors in an undisclosed place at the outskirts of Midsayap. He said Baya was released after a negotiation initiated by the local government of Midsayap.

“We have no idea whether ransom was paid,” Peralta said. “He was reunited with his family at about 3 a.m.,” he added.

Baya, a student of Notre Dame of Midsayap College, was attending to a family-owned variety store at 7 p.m. on Aug. 10 in Barangay Tumbras, Midsayap, when four gunmen arrived and forced him into a waiting gray Mitsubishi car.

The suspect fled toward the boundary of Midsayap and Kabuntalan, Maguindanao, where responding policemen later found the getaway vehicle. Balong Baya, village councilman of Tumbras, said his son has no known enemies and his family could not pay any ransom. Edwin O. Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao

ISABELA

Soldier killed in clash

An Army soldier was killed and three others were wounded in a clash between government troops and 30 communist rebels in Balagan village in San Mariano town on Tuesday, a report here said.

Supt. Manuel Bringas, Isabela police operations chief, said Pfc. Greisman Atali was killed during the 20-minute firefight. A team from the Army’s 5th Infantry Division Reconnaissance Company chanced upon the rebels during a routine patrol.

The wounded, identified as Pfc. Steve Bimmoy, Pfc. Roque Ganalon and Pvt. Rafael Langaom, were treated at Camp Melchor de la Cruz Hospital. Villamor Visaya Jr., Inquirer Northern Luzon

MASBATE

Village chief slain

A village captain and his cousin were shot dead by three unidentified assailants early Wednesday morning in Cataingan town in Masbate, police said.

Village chief Ireneo Booc, 43, and his relative Marlon Etcobañes, 20, were on their way home when the gunmen, who were waiting for them at a street in Sitio Tagican, Barangay Poblacion, shot them at 4:30 a.m.

Both were dead on arrival in the hospital from an undetermined number of bullet wounds in their bodies, said Senior Insp. Josefino Titong Jr., Cataingan chief of police. He said the gunmen fled aboard a motorcycle.

Investigation showed that Booc had been receiving death threats prior to the incident. He had been charged with illegal possession of firearms in a case  pending in court. Titong said Booc was on his last term as barangay captain of Poblacion. Shiena M. Barrameda, Inquirer Southern Luzon