GUNMEN believed to be Abu Sayyaf bandits have seized five fishing boat crew in an island town of Sulu province, a top military official disclosed Monday.
Brigadier General Cirilito Sobejana, Joint Task Force Sulu commander, identified the victim as Vergel Arquino, 25; Jushua Ybanes, 23; Emo Fausto, 63; Junald Minalang, 24; and, Spriano Sardido, 53.
All, except Arquino who is from Davao City, are residents of Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur. They are all crew of F/B Danvil 8 owned by Danvil Yanoc of Pagadian City.
Sobejana said the victims were seized around 8:15 p.m. Saturday by suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits in the island municipality of Pangutaran, Sulu.
He disclosed that the five crewmen were forced to board two motorized bancas.
Yanoc reported to the Coastguard Station in Pagadian City that his two fishing boats, F/B Danvil 8 and F/B Danvil 2, together with nine ligthboats have took shelter at the port Poblacion, Pangutaran due to bad weather at the time of the abduction.
Sobejana said the troops are scouring all the possible areas where the victims could have been taken by the gunmen.
The Abu Sayyaf bandits are still holding captives more than a dozen hostages, mostly foreigners such as Vietnamese, Indonesians and Dutch.
