Abus holding mayor in Sulu

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Kidnapped Mayor Gemma Adana of Naga town in Zamboanga Sibugay province has been brought to Sulu province and is being held by a faction of the Abu Sayyaf bandit group based there, the military said on Tuesday.

Adana was abducted from her house in Taytay Manubo in Naga town on April 6 by the Waning Abdusalam Group.

Col. Rolando Bautista, commander of the Army’s 104th Infantry Brigade based in Basilan province, said he had received reports that Adana was brought to Basilan. It turned out that the mayor was in neighboring Sulu, he said.

“We checked the trail of information and it turned out that an ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group) member from Sulu was the one negotiating for ransom,” he said.

Based on the information, Bautista said the bandits wanted P100 million in exchange for Adana’s liberty.

Senior Supt. Jose Bayani Gucela, the police director of Zamboanga Sibugay, said Task Force Adana had not received any fresh information on the status of the victim.

The military intelligence community has not obtained any information either, Bautista said. “There is no proof of life, [we don’t know if] she is dead or alive,” he said. Julie Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao