Kidnapped principal freed, ransom paid

ZAMBOANGA CITY–A school principal kidnapped in Sulu had been freed by her captors, believed to be Abu Sayyaf members, hours after she was seized on Thursday. 

Marjorie Abdul, principal of Liang Elementary School in Patikul town, was released around 11 p.m., according to Esquierdo Jumadain, of the Department of Education  office in Sulu. 

Ransom was believed to have been paid by the principal’s relatives. Jumadain said Abdul, 58, was “freed through negotiations” between her relatives and captors. 

Abdul was in her office when gunmen barged in and took her around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday. 

Jumadain was the second education official abducted in Sulu this month alone. 

The fate of Sitti Dormis Hamsirano, 46, teacher of Matatal Elementary School in Maimbung town, remained uncertain after she was abducted on March 8. Jumadain said her captors were demanding P2 million in ransom. –JULIE S. ALIPALA