PAGADIAN CITY (Mindanao Examiner / June 20, 2012) – Masked gunmen abducted a school principal in Misamis Oriental province, a known stronghold of communist rebels in the southern Philippines, military officials said on Wednesday.
Officials said Erwin Respeto, the acting principal of Hinigdaan National High School, was seized on Monday evening near the village of Hinigdaan in El Salvador City. The gunmen dragged Respeto in a mini-van and sped away.
“We still don’t know the motive of the abduction, but police authorities are investigating this case. We will assist the police in locating the victim if necessary,” Major Eugenio Osias, a spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division, told the Mindanao Examiner.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the abduction, but New People’s Army rebels are actively operating in the province and had been largely blamed by the military in the abduction of civilians suspected of working with the military. (Mindanao Examiner)
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