Kidnapped gas depot owner freed in Cotabato

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 17, 2010) – Kidnappers have freed unharmed an elderly gas depot owner two days after gunmen barged inside his office in the southern Philippines, officials said Wednesday.

Officials said Rodolfo Chio, 70, was abandoned Tuesday night in Cotabato City near Maguindanao, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.

“Rodolfo was freed last night in Cotabato City. Troops are now tracking down the kidnappers,” said Captain Razeleigh Bansawan, spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.

Bansawan did not say if Chio’s family paid ransom, but he tagged a kidnap-for-ransom group as behind the old man’s misery. The gang originally demanded at least P5 million for Chio’s freedom.

Chio’s release came a day after pursuing troops clashed with kidnappers in Maguindanao’s Datu Piang town. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. (Mindanao Examiner)