ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Still unidentified armed men seized an official of a water utility firm and his wife in Jolo, capital town of Sulu, early yesterday morning, authorities said.
The victims, engineer Bonifacio Salinas, an official of the Jolo Mainland Water District, and his wife Claire were onboard a tricycle on their way home to Barangay Latih, Patikul town when two motorcycle-riding men flagged them down.
The couple had just arrived in Jolo aboard a commercial ferry from this city, said Senior Superintendent Abraham Orbita, Sulu police director.
The two men, according to Orbita, forced Salinas and his wife into a waiting Tamaraw jeepney.
Police said it could not be ascertained if the captors belong to the Abu Sayyaf, which is behind kidnappings in the region.