Surigao del Sur vice mayor reported missing

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Police have launched a search for the vice mayor of Tagbina, Surigao del Sur, who has been missing since Saturday.

The Surigao del Sur police said yesterday that Vice Mayor Antonio Adlao was last seen by his friends and relatives on Saturday morning in his farm in Barangay Malixi.

Probers said Adlao’s motorcycle was found abandoned along a road several meters away from his farmhouse.

Unverified reports spreading around Tagbina indicated that the New People’s Army (NPA) had allegedly asked for P200,000 in protection money from Adlao. Residents expressed belief that communist rebels could be behind Adlao’s disappearance.

Police urged the public to refrain from speculating about the incident as investigation is ongoing.