Zamboanga kidnaps worry US execs

ZAMBOANGA CITY—The US Embassy in Manila sent officials to this city as Washington “expressed deep concern” over Tuesday’s abduction of a Filipino-American woman and her son, Mayor Celso Lobregat said Wednesday.

“They were here to find out as much information as possible and we also asked them some information that we may need,” Lobregat said at a press conference.

The Inquirer saw at least two of the US Embassy officials attending the meeting of the local crisis management council here yesterday in connection with the abduction of Gerfa Yeatts Lunsmann, 43, (not 50 as reported earlier) and her son Kevin, 14.

A relative of Lunsmman, Romnick Jackaria, 18, of Basilan, was also taken captive.

Senior Supt. Edwin de Ocampo, acting city police chief, said the Lunsmanns, who live in Virginia, came to this city on July 1 to build resort houses on Tictabon Island.

Lobregat said the Lunsmanns were vacationing as Gerfa wanted to retrace her roots for her son.

Gerfa was raised by an American couple since she was 9 years old but she hailed from Pangapuyan Island.

Pangapuyan Barangay Chair Khadapy Jailani said Gerfa is a cousin.

Lobregat said Gerfa had visited her hometown five times since 2007.

Chief Supt. Leocadio Santiago, head of operations of the Philippine National Police, said he was also sent here to oversee operations to rescue the victims.

Santiago said while the US government expressed concern, no US official would interfere in the operations. He called the abduction a “black eye” to the PNP. Julie Alipala with a report from Jeoffrey Maitem, Inquirer Mindanao with Inquirer wires