Classes in six Zamboanga schools suspended after abduction of teacher

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Classes in public schools in the coastal villages of Limaong and Tumitus here have been suspended for the last three days following the abduction of a teacher by still unidentified armed men, a school official said Friday.

Pedro Melchor Natividad, Schools Division Superintendent, told the Inquirer that at least six schools were affected although he could not say how many pupils were affected.

Natividad said the abduction of Cathy Mae Casipong, 23, on Dec. 18 has sown fear among teachers in the two villages.

“We will allow teachers to report in these schools (Matarling, Magiti, Malanta, Tigui, Sibogtok and Tumitus) once security forces can issue clearance for the safe return and an assurance of safety for our teachers and students there,” Natividad said.

Col. Andrelino Colina, commander of Task Force Zamboanga, said at least 10 armed men abducted Casipong, a teacher assigned to the Sibogtok Elementary School on Limaong Island, at around 4 p.m. Limaong Island is about 83 kilometers away from the mainland.

Chief Insp. Ariel Huesca, spokesperson of the Western Mindanao Regional Police Office, said the teacher “was dragged by more or less 10 fully armed men”  and was forced to board one of the two motorized bancas that sped off in the deirection of Eleven Islands.

Huesca said that one of boats a white “Sangali” mark. Sangali is an adjacent village of  Eleven Islands.

Natividad said Casipong was en route to Zamboanga City aboard a boat with four colleagues to attend a Teachers’ Day celebration when she was abducted.

He said the other teachers jumped off the boat when the armed men boarded it.

“Casipong, maybe out of fear, froze in her seat and she was the one taken by the abductors,” Natividad said.

Chief Supt. Mario Yanga, acting Zamboanga City police chief, said three of the abductors have been identified but he would not name them.

Yanga said most of the abductors were natives of the town of Naga  in Zamboanga Sibugay.

Police said they had no idea what motivated the abduction and Natividad said he did not think it was for ransom.

“If it’s kidnapping (for ransom), all teachers could have been taken captive already,” he said, floating the idea the abduction could be “personal” or even politically motivated.