BUTUAN CITY (MindaNews/22 May) — A former mayor of Carrascal town in Surigao del Sur was allegedly kidnapped yesterday in Lanuza town of the same province.
Lanuza police said Victor Lim Tan, 67, was abducted by more or less eight men in Sitio Catupgas, Barangay Zone 3 in Lanuza.
Tan, manager of Carrascal Integrated Enterprise, has an ongoing government-funded construction project in Lanuza.
Superintendent Martin Gamba, information officer of the Caraga Police Office, said that the victim’s driver, Julius Arco Arnego reported the incident to the Lanuza police station at around 9:00 pm Monday.
“Arnego allegedly witnessed his employer brought by the suspects to the mountainous area of said place. The suspects were just wearing civilian clothes and we are still uncertain as to the firearms they were carrying,” said Gamba.
The police official added the police in Lanuza are now conducting thorough investigation and coordinating with the military to rescue Tan.
In a phone interview, Carrascal police chief Senior Inspector Ray Sorreda said that they are also trying to help in the investigation since the victim is a resident of the town.
“We are now working on verifying the case since the family has not yet received any demand from the alleged kidnappers. We are also hoping that the victim’s family would cooperate with us in solving the case,” said Sorreda.
He also disclosed that the victim was abducted by the New People’s Army in 1997 in Barangay Diatagon, Lianga, Surigao del Sur while visiting his construction project and was released after several months.
He did not discount the possibility that the kidnapping is again the handiwork of the NPA rebels who are demanding “revolutionary tax” from Tan’s construction firm.
MindaNews tried to get a statement from Carrascal Vice Mayor Alfred Arreza, a relative of Tan’s, through the phone but he refused to give any.
(Erwin Mascarinas/MindaNews)