ZAMBOANGA CITY, 4 March 2005 — Two men were kidnapped in the southern Philippines yesterday, hours before security forces recovered an Agriculture Department employee seized by gunmen two weeks ago, officials said.

Marine Col. Ben Dolorfino said the two victims — Vincent Jariol, an engineer, and Gerald Tumawis — were abducted before midnight on Wednesday in Iligan City, 810 kilometers south of Manila.

Dolorfino said the victims were traveling aboard a van in downtown Iligan when armed men blocked their path and took control of their vehicle.

“The vehicle was recovered in a resort in Pantao town in nearby Lanao del Norte province,” he said. “Traces of blood were seen inside the vehicle but it could not yet be ascertained if the blood was from the victims or the suspects.”

Dolorfino said investigators were still determining the motive behind the abductions and were already following up some leads.

The new kidnapping occurred hours before marines and policemen recovered Rogelio Creencia, a soil and water management specialist and regional coordinator of the Department of Agriculture in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Muslim, in Matungao town in Lanao del Norte.

Gunmen seized Creencia on Feb. 14 in the town of Tugaya in nearby Lanao del Sur province and demanded 200,000 pesos for his safe release.

Marine spokesman Capt. Rommel Abrau said Creencia was released in the hinterlands after successful negotiations by provincial governor Bashier Manalao, officials said.

Authorities said no ransom was paid for Creencia’s freedom, but other sources claimed tens of thousands of pesos were paid to the kidnappers as fees for the victim’s “board and lodging.”

Creencia, who is based in Manila, was inspecting government land programs in the province when he was kidnapped.

It was not immediately known if the kidnappers belong to any rebel group, officials said.

Daylight Murder

Also yesterday, an official was killed yesterday in a daring daylight attack by a lone assassin in the northern city of Tarlac, police said.

Abel Ladera, a councilor of Tarlac City, 105 kilometers north of Manila, was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital due to a single gunshot wound.

Chief Superintendent Rowland Albano, a police director for the Central Luzon Region, said Ladera had just left his office when he was shot.

“He was met by the assassin on his way out of the city hall,” Albano said.

“The suspect fled immediately.” Investigators were still trying to determine a motive for the killing.

In the past, communist rebels were mostly behind the assassinations of local government officials for alleged graft, human rights violations and other offences.

But police investigators expressed doubts that guerrillas were involved since Ladera was a relative of communist party spokesman Gregorio Rosal.