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Sunday, August 03, 2008
State university teacher still in captivity
By Samira Gutoc
Lanao Correspondent
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - Over a month has passed, but kidnap victim Sherwin Nacua, a teacher at the Biology department of the Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City, is still in captivity.
Relatives and friends of Nacua in his hometown in Iligan City have already appealed to media for support.
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"We hope concerned individuals can help," said Iligan City-based Jaycee senator Ditto Maruhom, a friend of the 45-year-old Nacua.
Kidnapping in Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (Armm) took on centerstage with broadcast reporter Ces Drilon and her team's abduction in Sulu last June 9. Negotiations for their release took less than 10 days.
Nacua, on the other hand, said local observers, had no media mileage, thus the lack of attention on his captivity.
Still alive
MSU officials said Sherwin is still alive as confirmed by MSU legal counsel Macacuna Muslim.
Muslim said he was able to talk to Nacua on his cell phone where he assured the victim of the efforts to negotiate for his release led by a crisis management team organized by MSU President Macapado Muslim.
This refuted reports in one major broadsheet, which said that the faculty of MSU's Biology department refused to conduct classes last July 24-28 in protest of the lack of action on the kidnapping incident.
Biology department Chair Fatima Natangcop instead said the 22-member faculty merely took a break after the "exhaustion of waiting for news about Nacua and to revitalize the faculty."
Other sources expressed disappointment on the MSU administration under Muslim as it was not allegedly exerting as much "front-line effort" because the kidnapping occurred "outside the jurisdiction" of MSU campus.
Nacua along with more than 20 other faculty and students were aboard an Iligan-bound passenger jeepney on June 26 when armed men held them up at Saguiaran town, 15 minutes away from MSU Campus in Marawi City.
The suspects took only Nacua and brought him on a vehicle towards Piagapo town, where an MILF camp holds base.
Sherwin's release
Lanao del Sur Provincial Police Director Adap Paniares said that aside from the MSU effort, four other teams are also negotiating for Nacua's release.
These are the Crisis Management Committee headed by Provincial Governor Mamintal Adiong, the local government unit of Piagapo, Marawi Mayor Fahad Salic, and the AHJAG or Ad Hoc Joint Action Group of the military and MILF.
Paniares confirmed that a ransom has been demanded but he refused to provide offer details.
"Politicians here fear they might suffer the fate of Mayor Isnaji and his son," he added.
There were also sketchy reports that said the suspects might be disgruntled employees of MSU who have been removed by the new MSU administration. Still others say Nacua could have been kidnapped by local kidnapping syndicates.
Nacua's abduction is the third kidnapping incident this year.
Just a week after Nacua's abduction, Lolita Rodriguez, another faculty from Jamiatul Muslim Integrated Foundation, was kidnapped allegedly by disgruntled students who had failing marks. She was released days later.
On March 29, Jung Tae-yung, a Korean businessman, and Victor Macasera Jr. were abducted in the province. Yung is a mining investor interested in chromate potentials in Butuan City and Ditsaan Ramain town.
Macasera and Jung Tae-yung were released after 56 days in captivity due to a concerted effort of negotiations by tribal leaders, local government units, the police and the military.
The MSU-Main campus, with more than 10,000 students, is within Muslim-dominated Marawi City, the capital of Lanao del Sur. More than 50 percent of its students and faculty population are non-Muslims. (Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (August 3, 2008 issue)
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