High school student abducted

CEBU, Philippines - The high school student who was reported abducted three days ago was reunited with his family yesterday.

 The student (name withheld), 22, said he hid in a resort in Lilo-an town after he escaped from his three abductors.

They were the same men who abducted him on June 11.

The victim narrated that last Saturday, he was walking towards school at 7 a.m. when a gray car with tinted windows stopped before him.

Two men inside the car opened the window and pointed a gun at him, telling him to hop in.

Another man served as the driver.

The victim described his abductors as decent-looking, young and they used the same car in the June 11 incident.

Because of fear, he got inside the car and one of them punched his face repeatedly.

He still had bruises when he faced the media yesterday.

After punching him, one of the men told him to pray for his life.    

He saw guns tucked in the waistlines of his abductors.

This prompted him to punch the man sitting at his right until he managed to get out of the car and escape.

He ran towards a forested area until he reached a resort in Jubay , Lilo-an.

He decided to hide there for three days.

Around 8 pm last Monday, the resort’s caretaker spotted him sitting and shivering outside the gate.

The caretaker let him and turned him over to the security guard.

The guard gave him food and clothes.

He was also given P40 for fare in going back to Cebu City.

But since he did not know his way home, the guard asked for his family’s cellphone number.

He was able to talk to his mother who arrived at around 12 a.m. to fetch him.

The mother said the reported the incident to Lilo-an Police Station, but they were told to have the incident blottered in Cebu City.

They went to Cebu City Police Office yesterday morning.

The Investigation and Detective Management Branch of CCPO is investigating the incident.

IDMB head, Chief Insp. Bonifacio Garciano, and his men went to the resort to investigate and found out that the victim’s statement collaborated with that of the caretaker and the guard.

Asked if he may have offended someone, the victim said he doesn’t have any enemies.

Last June 11, he was also walking towards school when the same car stopped before him and the people inside asked him where he was going. When he said he was on his way school, they allegedly convinced him to hitch a ride as they were also on their way. Since he was late for school, he agreed.

But instead of bringing him to school, the suspects, who were also the same people who abducted him last Saturday, sped off towards south.

Before he was dropped in Barangay Pardo, he overheard them saying that he was mistaken for someone.

“Naa daw ko’y gipatay ingon sila. But ingon ang usa na ‘brad, dili man ni mao’” the victim said.

Garciano said they will conduct a background check on the victim to see if he is not affiliated with any fraternity groups. – (FREEMAN)