08 Jun Kidnapped Students in Lanao del Norte – 4 Rescued, 2 Remained Captive
Around 1 pm on Tuesday, June 7, the Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) official Facebook Page posted a press release from the Office of Publication & Information (OPI) of the University informing the public that four of the six kidnapped students in Lanao del Norte has been released.
The work that led to the release of the 4 captives has been done on Monday night, June 6, with the joint operation of the Iligan City police, Army officers, and agents of the National Bureau of Investigation in the boundaries of Bacolod and Munai, Lanao del Norte.
The hostages that have been successfully freed were:
Juhari Gubat, 1st year student
Kevin Limpin, alumnus
Hannah Yurong, an IIT dropout
Eloisa Lacson, a non-IIT student
Two more captives are yet to be rescued, they are:
Berzon Rey Paeste, 4th year AB History student from Zamboanga del Sur
Cid Rick Jamias, 5th year BS Electronics and Communication student from Tacurong City
Iligan City police director Senior Superintendent Edgar Daniel said that the students are on board a white van driven by a man who is only known as a cousin of Gubat going to Pagadian City.
According to MSU-IIT Security Chief Eduardito Maruhom, the van stopped at a gasoline station in Brgy. Tominobo, Iligan City. It was then when the driver got off the vehicle and made a call.
After then, they continued their way to Lanao del Norte. Upon reaching Linamon, the first Municipality outside Iligan City, they were halted by armed men, took them violently from the van, blindfolded them and brought them in an unknown muddy uphill area.
They were separately interviewed about their parents’ jobs. This is one of the angles that most of the netizens believed to have caused Paeste and Jamias remained as captives, by gauging that their family can give the desired ransom if there would come a time that the captors would initiate such demands to the authorities. Yet, this view from the netizens is yet to be proved. For now, it remains as a speculation.
The MSU-IIT and their Chancellor, Sukarno D. Tanggol are “doing its best for the safety of the kids.”
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