American national kidnapped in Zamboanga Del Norte
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 5:46 p.m.) — Authorities are in hot pursuit of kidnappers who abducted an American national in Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte, police said on Friday, October 18.
In the "Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon" public briefing, P/Lt. Col. Helen Galvez of the Regional Public Information Office, Police Regional Office IX, said they are still tracking down the 26-year-old American national, who was kidnapped from their home on Thursday night.
The victim, Elliot Onil Eastman, who is married to a local, had been staying in the country for five months. According to a statement from local police, assailants broke into the home of the spouse’s parents and abducted Eastman.
The victim initially resisted and was shot by the assailants, who then took the American onto a boat and escaped via the sea.
“Our hot pursuit operations are ongoing, focusing on the last known route of the boat carrying the victim. We are also coordinating with our counterparts from the Armed Forces of the Philippines to assist in the possible rescue of the abducted victim,” Galvez said.
Meanwhile, the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) ordered all of its units in Basilan and Sulu to guard against the possible entry of the kidnappers and their American captive.
Brig. Gen. Romeo Juan Macapaz, director of PRO-BAR, told reporters on Friday afternoon that they have received reports indicating that Eastman was taken away from Sitio Tungawan in Barangay Poblacion, Sibuco, by his abductors using a watercraft that sailed towards Sulu.
"We have alerted our units in Basilan and Sulu about that, and our personnel are guarding the beachfronts there very tightly," Macapaz said.
The assailants have not yet made any ransom demands, Galvez said.
“This is an isolated case in the area of Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte, and it does not affect the general peace and order of the entire region,” she said.
Despite this, Galvez mentioned that Region IX is on heightened alert.
In a statement, the United States Embassy said that they are working with local authorities.
However, they declined to comment on potential kidnapping cases while the investigation is ongoing.
"The Department of State has no greater priority than the welfare and safety of US citizens abroad," the embassy said.
The Philippines has a long and infamous history of kidnapping foreigners, with many cases documented in the past. In a 2007 Reuters report, the Philippines was referred to as the “kidnapping capital of the world.”
Religious extremist group Abu Sayyaf has previously kidnapped and beheaded several foreign nationals in the southern part of the country. — with report from John Unson and Cristina Chi
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