ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/28 November) – The son of a prominent Zamboanga del Sur businessman who was reported missing turned out to have been kidnapped, a police official said Thursday.
Chief Insp. Ariel Huesca, Police Regional Office-9 information officer, said the kidnapping of Edmund Corpuz, 31, was only confirmed Wednesday, two days after he was reported missing to the police in Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur.
Huesca said Bonifacio Corpuz told the Labangan police last Monday that his son failed to return home on that day.
The Corpuz family resides in Barangay Dalapang, Labangan and owns a rice mill as well as vast tracts of rice field.
Huesca said the younger Corpuz went to the Zamboanga del Sur National High School around 2 p.
m. Monday to fetch a relative but failed to return and could not be located.
The kidnapping was confirmed early Wednesday when a person who claimed to be one of the kidnappers called through a mobile phone and demanded an unspecified amount of money for his safe release, according to Huesca.
Corpuz’ brother, Eleazar, immediately reported to the Labangan police what happened to his brother after they received the call, he said.
The police official said Zamboanga del Sur police director Senior Supt. Sofronio Ecaldre has formed Special Investigation Task Group-Corpuz to handle the case.
He said that Ecaldre has also coordinated with anti-kidnapping group of the Philippine National Police for the possible rescue of the victim. (MindaNews)