Kidnappings can still happen in Mindanao despite martial law, Duterte spokesman says

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said today that kidnappings in Mindanao can still take place despite the island being under martial law, as the police scramble to rescue a couple who were kidnapped in Zamboanga del Sur last week.

Mindanao has been under martial law since the Marawi Siege of 2017 when Maute rebels attacked the city. President Rodrigo Duterte has extended it three times, despite the defeat of the rebels, saying that public safety requires it. Martial law will end on Dec. 31 this year, but his security adviser Hermogenes Esperon said he will recommend that Duterte extend it again by one more year.

In his press conference today, Panelo downplayed the kidnappings last week of British national Allan Arthur Hyrons and his Filipino wife Welma Paglinawan-Hyrons from a beach resort in the town of Tukuran in Zamboanga del Sur province in Mindanao. The police said they were abducted at gunpoint then brought to motorized boats that sped off into the seas.

“Sometimes that happens even if we still have martial law. These are isolated cases; sometimes they cannot be avoided,” he said.

“I’m sure the PNP (Philippine National Police) will do something about it. It doesn’t have to be directed by the president. They know what to do.”

Panelo advised foreigners to “always take care of themselves. Avoid places where danger lurks.”

However, he did not say whether tourists should avoid Zamboanga del Sur.

“Let the PNP there, the army take care of the place,” he said instead.

Today the police have released a computer-generated sketch of one of the suspected abductors based on the description given by witnesses. The alleged kidnapper has been described as around 30 to 35 years old, dark, and 5’6″ tall. The police said they are not sure if the suspect is a member of a terrorist group or a kidnap-for-ransom gang.

Meanwhile, the Zamboanga del Sur provincial government has offered a PHP1 million (US$19,273) reward to anyone who could give information on the Hyrons’ whereabouts. In a statement, it also assured the public that the kidnapping was an “isolated case” and that Zamboanga del Sur “remains safe and generally peaceful.”

AdChoiceTV News, Robi Chan contributed to this report