Abducted Rizal mayor surfaces

The Liberal Party mayoral candidate in Baras, Rizal surfaced Saturday, 48 hours after he was snatched by four ski mask-wearing armed men, police said yesterday.

Ulysses Olano, 46, showed up at his miting de avance in front of the Baras town hall and told his supporters that his political opponents were allegedly behind his abduction.

Senior Superintendent Leocadio Santiago, Rizal police director, said Olano and his supporters who witnessed his abduction last Thursday refused to come forward and give their statements about the incident.

"They claimed they were still busy campaigning. But they sent word that their lawyer would coordinate with the local police," Santiago told The STAR.

At least 800 supporters of Olano attended his miting de avance, where he gave his personal version of his abduction.

He said his kidnappers blindfolded him after grabbing his bag containing P700,000. He was then brought to a safehouse after a four-hour drive, he said.

Olano said the four men actually wanted to save him from death threats from political opponents whom he did not identify.

Olano is pitted against incumbent Mayor Dindo Graciano, of the Lakas-CMD (Christian-Muslim Democrats), and a certain Robles, of the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP).

A local survey done before Olano’s abduction reportedly showed him ranking third in the mayoral race.

According to Olano, his abductors released him somewhere in Meycauayan, Bulacan last Saturday, several hours before his miting de avance.

He said he could not give any description of the four men because he was blindfolded all throughout his detention.

Police said Olano did not say whether his kidnappers returned the money they had taken from him.

The money was reportedly contributed to Olano’s campaign kitty by Rizal second district Rep. Jun Rodriguez.

Despite the ordeal, Olano, Santiago said, did not request police protection.

Santiago said they will continue investigating the incident because it was listed as a kidnapping case in their record of election-related incidents in the province.

He said he would terminate the probe and tag the incident as a case of "self kidnap" if Olano and his witnesses would not file a formal complaint.

Despite Olano’s surfacing, Santiago said he will still classify Baras town as an election "hot spot."

Police have tagged Baras, Antipolo City and Jala-Jala town as poll "hot spots" because of election-related incidents and bitter rivalry among local candidates.