Piñol warns captors of Chinese engineer

COTABATO CITY — North Cotabato Gov. Emmanuel Piñol warned yesterday the captors of a Chinese engineer involved in an irrigation project in the province of the repercussions of their offense, hinting that four of their cohorts have been arrested and are now helping the police track them down.

Piñol, who chairs the provincial peace and order council, has tagged a member of an influential Maguindanaoan family as the mastermind of the abduction of Zhang Zhung Quiang, operations manager of the China Import-Export Technologies Inc., in Matalam, North Cotabato last month.

The foreign firm is constructing major infrastructure components of the Malitubog-Maridagao irrigation project in the hostile town of Carmen.

Piñol, known for his hardline policy against criminals, said he has cautioned the Chinese consulate in Davao City not to defy his administration’s no-ransom policy in working out the safe release of Zhang, 43, who hardly speaks English.

Five armed men seized Zhang last June 24 in the boundary of Matalam and Kidapawan City while en route to the irrigation project site in Carmen, on board a chartered aircon passenger van.

Piñol said the van’s owner, Percival Ceriales, voluntarily confessed to his involvement in the abduction of Zhang, who is reportedly being kept now by a group of "lost command" Moro rebels in the boundary of North Cotabato and Maguindanao.

"He (Ceriales) has already admitted his role in the abduction of Mr. Zhang and is now helping investigators identify his companions in the abduction," the governor said.

Piñol said three security guards at the Carmen project site have also been arrested and have pinpointed a member of an known Muslim clan as their leader.

"I have talked to this man and has asked him to work out the immediate release of the victim to (prove) that he had nothing to do with the kidnapping," Piñol said.

He identified two of the suspects as Rudy Palacana and Nasser Pinulitay who, he said, have also confessed to their involvement in Zhang’s abduction.

Piñol said it was Ceriales, who shuttled Zhang whenever the foreigner went to Davao City and back to the project site, who convinced the three security guards to contact an armed group which could pull off the kidnapping. — John Unson