Sino engineer seized to force firm out of Cotabato project?

COTABATO CITY – The kidnapped Chinese manager of a construction firm involved in a foreign-funded irrigation project in North Cotabato could have been snatched to frighten the company into dropping out of the job, allowing local outfits to take over, the military hinted yesterday.

The victim, Zhang Zong Quiang, 43, operations manager of the China Import-Export Technologies Inc. (Citech), was abducted by four armed men last month while en route to Carmen, North Cotabato from Davao City aboard a chartered taxi.

Citech is constructing big infrastructure components of the Malitubog-Maridagao irrigation project in Carmen, North Cotabato, which, if completed, can irrigate 11,000 hectares of ricefields in the province.

Maj. Julieto Ando, spokesman of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said one of Zhang’s abductors, who was arrested in a recent dragnet, is now undergoing interrogation.

The suspect, Ando said, is now cooperating with local authorities in locating Zhang.

Ando, citing initial intelligence feedback, said there are indications that Zhang was kidnapped to force Citech to pull out.

An Army intelligence source said there are other competing companies that have long been trying to subcontract some phases of the construction work Citech has been doing at the Malitubog-Maridagao dam site in Barangay Kibines, Carmen town.

"We are looking into that angle. But we have not discounted other possible angles for Zhang’s abduction," Ando said.

Zhang’s superiors in Citech have not yet received any ransom demand from his captors, sources from the North Cotabato police said.

Ando said Zhang and his captors could still be in a secluded area in the boundary of North Cotabato and Maguindanao.

Zhang, who hardly speaks English, was snatched along with his taxi driver, Percival Ceriales, and his helper, Vicente Guingona.