ZAMBOANGA CITY—Gunmen believed to be Abu Sayyaf bandits seized six Zamboangueño construction workers in Sulu at dawn Saturday.
The incident happened around 2 a.m. along Martirez Street in the capital town of Jolo, according to police authorities and relatives of the victims.
But one of the six workers identified as Larry Velasquez escaped although he was shot and wounded in the leg.
Taken captives by the Abu Sayyaf bandits were Edmundo Ramos, 37; Jayson Baylosis, Joker Adanza, Jun Guerrero and the fifth one remained unidentified.
Two of the victim’s relatives—Amy Guerrero and Dayang Ramos—told the Philippines News Agency the Abu Sayyaf bandits had demanded P1-million ransom in exchange for the release of each victim.
Meanwhile, an Abu Sayyaf Group sub-leader and another member involved in several abduction incidents of seafarers in the Philippine-Malaysia border were nabbed Thursday in two separate locations by security forces in Tawi-Tawi.
Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi commander Brig. Gen. Custodio Parcon Jr. identified the arrested terrorists as ASG sub-leader Omad Harun alias Halipa and Ara Samindi alias Apo Mike.
He said the simultaneous amphibious operations arrested Samindi at his hideout in Lagaan Island, Taganak while Harun was nabbed in Barangay Poblacion, also in Taganak.
They were brought to the police station in Bongao town in Tawi-Tawi.
“Samindi and Harun are connected to ASG sub-leaders Alden Bagadi alias Sayning, Majan Sahijuan alias Apo Mike and the late Abraham Hamid and Alhabsy Misaya, all Sulu-based,” Parcon said.
Misaya was recently killed by government security forces in Bohol. His group entered Bohol to kidnap tourists.
According to Parcon, since the implementation of the border cooperation of the militaries of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines (IndoMalPhi) to combat kidnap-for-ransom and ASG activities, the cooperation has been successful so far in some of its operations.
Parcon said the arrest of the two was a “significant” one under the Maritime Coordination Center of the three Asean countries.
Guerrero and Ramos said the ransom demand was relayed to them through a mobile phone by a man who identified himself as a member of the Abu Sayyaf Group.
The Abu Sayyaf bandits behind the incident belong to the Ajang-Ajang group led by bandit sub-leader Ben Saudi.
The bandits abducted the victims who were sleeping at the second floor of the building they were constructing since the project engineer, the main target and was sleeping at the ground floor, was not around at the time.
Relatives said the victims had been working for three months already in Jolo.
The relatives said they preferred to work in Jolo since they were being paid with good salary compared to the other construction firms in this city. With PNA