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KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/19 November) – Gunmen today abducted a relative of the municipal mayor of Aleosan in North Cotabato, but the military said it was a case of mistaken identity.
Lt. Col. Leopoldo Galon, chief of the public affairs division of the Eastern Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines based in Davao City, identified the victim as Leopoldo Cabaya, alias Ronnie, nephew of Aleosan Mayor Loreto Cabaya.
Galon said the victim was onboard a motorcycle when snatched in Barangay Dualing, Aleosan, around 1 a.m., today.
The military official said the suspects burned their getaway vehicle along the Aleosan-Kidapawan highway before spiriting their victim to the marsh.
Authorities hinted the victim could have been mistaken as Cabaya’s son.
Ronnie, the mayor said, looks like his son Jason.
He said his distant relative works as his houseboy during the day and studies at night in Midsayap town.
The victim is studying accountancy and comes from a poor family, he said. (Malu Cadelina Manar/MindaNews)
