[UPDATED] Trader seized in Jolo

[UPDATED] MANILA, Philippines – Police and military units in Sulu were placed on alert after receiving word that a Filipino-Chinese businessman in the capital town of Jolo was abducted by armed men on Saturday evening, April 7.

Initial reports identified the victim as Carlos Ty, who was forcibly taken at gunpoint by unidentified men from his home in Hadji Butuh Street in downtown Jolo.

The victim was made to board a yellow Tamaraw jeep that sped towards an unknown direction, according to Director Felicisimo Khu, head of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations (DIPO) in Western Mindanao. 

Ty reportedly manages a gasoline station near his home, which is owned by his brother. A military intelligence report described him as an engineer working for the Air Transportation Office (ATO) in Jolo.

Col Jose Cenabre, acting commander of the Philippine Marines’ Joint Task Force-Comet, said he has coordinated with the local police to initiate an operation to pursue the abductors and free their hostage.

Elections next year

“Apparently, the bandits managed to sneak into downtown Jolo despite the presence of the police and the military securing the town for the Holy Week,” Cenabre said in a text message. “We have been on alert because we have anticipated the rise of kidnapping cases since it will be election year next year.”

The abduction in Jolo came amidst the resurgence of kidnapping cases that have made Western Mindanao infamous.

Less than a week ago, Jeffrey Lim, mayor of Salug town in Zamboanga del Norte, was abducted inside a bus terminal compound while waiting for his family who was supposed to join him for dinner.

Three foreigners, an Australian and 2 Europeans, who were kidnapped in Zamboanga Sibugay and Tawi-Tawi respectively, are still in captivity.

The al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) is blamed for these kidnapping cases, despite government’s pronouncements that they have been largely neutralized by continuing military operations. – Rappler.com