DAVAO CITY, May 31 (PNA) -– Six survey
inspectors of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) were
abducted by unidentified armed men on Friday (May 30) afternoon in Barangay
(village) New Leyte, Maco town, Compostela Valley Province.
Eastern Mindanao Command (EASTMINCOM)
information officer Capt. Alberto Caber said they received the report last
night from the 10th Infantry Division (ID) in Mawab town, Compostela Valley
based from the information gathered by the 1001st troops in Maco.
Caber said the six survey inspectors identified
as Kendrik Wong, Nico Lasaca, Chris Favila, Matthew Cua, Jonas Loredo and Tim
Sabina were in the area undertaking a validation and survey on the National
Greening Program of the government.
As of 1 p.m. today, three of the six survey
inspectors were reportedly released by the abductors. Those released are all
employees from the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO)
in Maco. Their names have been withheld upon the request of their families.
Those still held captive DENR employees from
Manila office.
However, in a phone interview, Caber will not
confirm if there were three survey inspectors released until he will receive a
report from the troops on the ground.
Caber disclosed that a crisis committee was
already created by Maco Mayor Alvera Rimando, who has directed the local
officials of New Leyte to investigate the incident.
No group has claimed responsibility for the
abduction of the survey inspectors.
EASTMINCOM Commander Lt. Gen. Ricardo Rainier
G. Cruz III has already directed military unit commanders in the area to help
the local officials, the Philippine National Police and DENR in their efforts
to locate, rescue these survey inspectors.
The DENR 11 has earlier announced that it has
started to fly drones over Compostela Valley province to survey the area and
check the survival rate of the tree seedlings planted since last year under the
government’s PHP1-billion National Greening Program (NGP).
DENR 11 Regional Director
Joselin Marcus Fragada said DENR spends PHP492,000 per service basis to operate
the drones sanctioned by the Ateneo de Manila.(PNA)
JBP/LILIAN C. MELLEJOR/LDP
JBP/LILIAN C. MELLEJOR/LDP
