GUNMEN have seized a 64-year-old Filipino-American in a remote village of Zamboanga del Norte province, military and police authorities said.
The Army's 42nd Infantry Battalion and the police's 902nd Regional Mobile Force Company said the incident happened around 6 p.m. Wednesday, September 16, in Tapanayan village, Sirawai, Zamboanga del Norte.
They identified the victim as Rex Triplet, a resident of Piacan village, Sirawai.
Investigation showed that Triplet and his wife Celsa Maani, 24, were aboard a motorcycle on the way home when waylaid by four gunmen clad in fatigue uniforms in Tapanayan village, which is about five kilometers from Sirawai town proper.
The unidentified gunmen, brandishing with M-203 grenade launcher and short firearms, forcibly dragged the couple to a waiting vehicle.
Triplet's wife managed to escape during the commotion. She sought for help from village officials.
The gunmen, tagging along Triplet, fled to unknown direction.
Military and police authorities are tracking down the victim's whereabouts. (SunStar Zamboanga)