Kidnapped engineer freed in Mindanao

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / November 26, 2009) – Kidnappers freed a Filipino engineer after a month in captivity in the troubled southern region of Mindanao, officials said.

Officials said Pablo Mercado, 45, seized October 23 by gunmen in the town of Saguiran in Lanao del Sur province, was allegedly released without ransom.

“The release was made possible through a series of negotiations and continuous military pressure exerted by the army,” Major General Benjamin Dolorfino, a regional military commander, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Mercado was seized by armed men in police uniform after stopping a passenger van on a highway in the village called Bubong. The van was carrying eight passengers, but gunmen singled out Mercado and dragged him to a waiting get-away car with markings “Councilor’ on its front bumper which fled toward Marawi City.

No details about Mercado’s release were made available by the military. (Mindanao Examiner)