Kidnapped teacher freed in Jolo

ZAMBOANGA CITY – A teacher who was kidnapped in Zamboanga Sibugay was released in Jolo, Sulu on Sunday.

Col. Roy Vincent Trinidad, chief of staff of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao, said Russel Bagonoc was freed by his captors in Jolo, Sulu past 12 noon Sunday.

Trinidad said a “concerned citizen” brought the victim to the headquarters of the 2nd Marine Brigade in Barangay Bus-bus.

Bagonoc will be brought to Zamboanga City on Sunday night after his medical check-up and debriefing in Jolo.

Bagonoc, 22, and his elder sister Reynabeth Silvano, 31, also a teacher, were abducted in the village of Moalboal in Talusan town in Zamboanga Sibugay on March 5.

The siblings teach at the Tuburan Elementary School in Talusan.

Silvano was freed, also in Jolo, on May 14.

Authorities could not say if ransom was paid in exchange for the siblings’ release.