Authorities have launched an extensive manhunt to rescue an American citizen who was shot and abducted Thursday night in a coastal village in Zamboanga del Norte.
The Police Regional Office-Zamboanga Peninsula (PRO-9) identified the victim as 26-year-old Elliot Onil Eastman, who was taken by four armed men around 11 p.m. in Sitio Tungawan, Barangay Poblacion, Sibuco.
Initial reports indicate the gunmen, posing as law enforcement officers, forcibly entered Eastman’s residence.
Eastman, who had been living in Barangay Poblacion for five months after marrying a local, resisted and was shot in the leg before being transported using a motorboat, the police report said.
“We have activated all available resources to address the situation,” Brig. Gen. Bowenn Joey Masauding, PRO-9 director, said in a Friday morning press conference.
He said the Anti-Kidnapping Unit-9, PRO-9 and Zamboanga del Norte Police are fully engaged in the search and rescue operation.
Masauding said the local police, Marines, and the Provincial Mobile Force Company are conducting a hot pursuit in full coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Masauding appealed to the public for any information that could assist in the rescue of Eastman, assuring that all tips would be handled confidentially.
The US Embassy in Manila is aware of the kidnapping and is “coordinating with local authorities.”
“We generally do not comment on reports of potential kidnappings while investigations are ongoing. The Department of State has no greater priority than the welfare and safety of US citizens abroad,” Embassy Deputy Press Attaché Glenda Wallace said in a statement.
AFP ready to assist law enforcement
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), meanwhile, said it is ready to assist law enforcement agencies in maintaining peace and order in the country.
"The AFP stands as a partner to the PNP (Philippine National Police) and any other law enforcement unit in maintaining peace and order in our country. The PNP and other relevant agencies will take the lead in law enforcement operations," AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said in a statement, following the incident.
This include tracking and pursuit operations against by the PNP, she added.
"Our cooperation is always geared toward the best interest of the Filipino people, ensuring the safety and security of our nation," she added. (With a report from Joyce Rocamora and Priam Nepomuceno/PNA)
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