Filipino-Chinese businesswoman abducted in Sulu

JOLO, Sulu -- Six unidentified armed men kidnapped a Filipino-Chinese businesswoman here late Monday afternoon and police attempts to immediately rescue the victim failed.

Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, Sulu police director, said Rosalie Lao, 58, was on her way home from her store when abducted near Kakugayan village.Kasim said the Jolo police, who were immediately alerted to the incident, police officers to track down the victim and her abductors.Senior Inspector Usman Pingay, Jolo police chief, said they chased a yellow Toyota Tamaraw the kidnappers used but lost track of it near Barangay (village) Danag in Patikul town.Pingay said the kidnappers have not contacted Lao’s family yet.Lao owns a store at the Barter Trade Center here.


Priest killers seek P1M for release of teacher

Killers of Oblate priest Reynaldo Roda have demanded P1 million in exchange for the release of a teacher they abducted during the incident, the police director of Tawi-Tawi province said.

Provincial police director Superintendent Wainwright Taup said the Abu Sayyaf sent him a ransom note for the release of his relative Omar Taup.The teacher was seized by the gunmen as they fled after killing Roda on January 15."The victim, a distant relative, personally wrote the letter and signed [it] begging me to produce the ransom. But we will not pay up," Taup said.


Police accuse MILF fighters of kidnapping three persons

Cotabato City, police accused Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters of kidnapping three persons in Mamasapano, Shariff Aguak province on January 24.

Meanwhile, Superintendent Danilo Bacas, spokesperson of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police, identified the men seized by the MILF as Christopher Lamigo, 29, Jeffrey Becera, 31 and Mark Badia, 28, all residents of Cotabato City.

The victims, he said, were selling frozen foods when taken by rebels in Barangay (village) Tukanalipao around 9 a.m.

But Eid Kabalu, MILF civil-military affairs chief, said the three vendors were "just invited" for questioning after fighters in the area suspected that they were military agents.
He said the vendors were eventually released after the MILF found no cause for holding them.
"They were unharmed and no ransom was asked before they were turned over to the IMT [International Monitoring Team]," Kabalu said.


Family of Disappeared person files Writ of Amparo vs. Military

Zamboanga City. The family of engineer Morcid Taguitis, who disappeared in Jolo, Sulu on October 30, has filed a writ of amparo against the military and police.
Taguitis, who works for a project funded by the Islamic Development Bank of Jeddah, was earlier thought to have been abducted by Abu Sayyaf gunmen.

A few weeks after his disappearance, however, Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan claimed Taguitis appeared to have staged his own kidnapping.

But Taguitis' family believes he is being held by authorities against his will, Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, Sulu police director, said.
Kasim said Taguitis' wife, Jean, decided to file a writ of amparo in an effort to find her missing husband.

Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao, ARMM police director, said they learned that the writ of amparo was filed before a Manila court late December.

"We were actually surprised with her actions. But the writ of amparo is actually a way to exert effort to produce missing persons and we are doing our best to locate her husband. We started our investigation with the [Criminal Investigation and Detection Group] because the wife claimed that CIDG 9 personnel were reportedly seen taking her husband," Goltiao said.

Goltiao said they will update the Taguitis family about the developments of the investigation.