MANILA (Philippines) - ARMED men abducted eight government workers who were protecting a southern Philippine watershed against timber poachers and illegal miners, officials said Wednesday.
Communist rebels aoperate near the protected, 10,625-acre (4,300-hectare) Taguibo Watershed in Agusan del Norte province, in additional to poachers and illegal miners. It was not clear who was responsible for the abductions, said regional military commander Major General Raymundo Ferrer.
The workers were manning a road checkpoint in Anticala village when the seven gunmen abducted them, Gen Ferrer said, adding that their truck also was missing. They were employed by the local government and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to guard the watershed, he said.
The predominantly Roman Catholic nation's south is home to several armed groups, including Muslim and communist guerrillas and criminal gangs. Ransom kidnappings are common.
Irish Reverend Michael Sinnott, 79, was abducted on Oct 11 and believed held by gunmen in coastal Lanao del Norte province, where Muslim separatists are active. Separately, Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants kidnapped a school principal on Jolo Island on Monday. -- AP
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