Agusan mayor, son kidnapped

MANILA, Philippines - Armed men, believed to be members of the New People’s Army (NPA), kidnapped a mayor and his son in Agusan del Sur yesterday.

A report to Malacañang said Mayor Dario Otaza of Loreto, Agusan del Sur and his son, Daryl, were forcibly taken from their home in Barangay Baan, Butuan City at around 6:50 p.m.

In a statement, Office of the President Undersecretary Emmanuel Bautista said police and military authorities were conducting pursuit operations to ensure the victims’ safety.

Bautista condemned the incident, saying that a kidnapping “such as this has no place in a civilized society.”

“Otaza is an upright, development-oriented and well-respected public servant in his community. We join the people of Loreto in condemning this incident,” he said.

Bautista, who is part of the Cabinet cluster on security, justice and peace, said Otaza is a member of the Manobo indigenous people’s group and a former rebel.