ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 21, 2014) – Police have recovered a student who was allegedly seized Friday near the premises of the Zamboanga City Medical Center.
Police said Basil Bernardo, a student taking up radiologic technology at the Universidad de Zamboanga, was allegedly abducted at around 10.45 a.m. by five unidentified men onboard a white van.
Bernardo was recovered by policemen led by Inspector Raul Clavecilla inside a branch of Jollibee restaurant in Ipil town in the neighboring province of Zamboanga Sibugay, according to Chief Inspector Ariel Huesca, a regional police spokesman.
“On or about 10:45 a.m. of March 21, 2014, one Basil Brice G. Bernardo, Radio Technology student of Universidad De Zamboanga, Zamboanga City was allegedly abducted beside Zamboanga City Medical Center, Veterans Avenue, Zamboanga City by five unidentified person onboard a white van.”
“Victim was recovered by Ipil Police Station led by PInsp Raul T Clavecilla, Officer in Charge, inside Jollibee, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay Province at about 3:00 p.m. of the same date; and victim was brought to Ipil Police Station for proper disposition and further investigation,” Huesca said in a brief report sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.
It was unknown whether Bernardo’s family paid ransom or not. Huesca said the police are still investigating the reported abduction. But he said the Ipil police interviewed tricycle drivers Benedicto Señalde and Rodel Gemao, who claimed they saw Bernardo disembarked from a passenger bus that came from Zamboanga City.
Huesca said police investigators also recovered the bus ticket from Bernardo’s pocket shortly after he was found in Jollibee restaurant.(Mindanao Examiner)
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