Vicente “Teng” Barrios, a 60-year-old Zamboangueño and fish cage caretaker who was seized by gunmen off the coastal village of Bolong on June 17, this year, was released by kidnappers in Sumisip, Basilan last Saturday.
A military report disclosed that Barrios was recovered around 6:30 p.m. by soldiers of the 1st Marine Brigade at Guiong, Sumisip, one of the Abu Sayyaf infested areas in Basilan.
The military said that Barrios appeared to have been abandoned in Guiong, a hinterland part of Sumisip town, and “timely” marines arrived in the area and recovered him.
No other details were available on Barrios’ release, except for a military statement that his freedom was worked out by Basilan Vice Gov. Al-rasheed Sakkalahul, chairman of the province’s Crisis Committee, Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER) and the military’s Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom).
Barrios was reported to be in good health except for physical weakness and some pounds lost during his more than two months in captivity.
Barrios was on board a pumpboat returning to Bolong shore after feeding the company’s fish on cage at nearby Bisaya-Bisaya island when he was intercepted by five gunmen off around 8:30 a.m. on June 17.
Haraing Haruddin, an operator of the pumpboat boarded by Barrios, said the five gunmen accosted them while they were on their way to the mainland.
Haruddin said he was able to jump into the water and swam to shore to save himself. He said the gunmen even tried to shoot him while he was underwater.
The kidnapping came a day after security forces rescued Filipino-Swiss Charlie Rieth from his captors in Barangay Labuan.
City Policer Director Sr. Supt. Edwin De Ocampo had said that even before his kidnapping, Barrios had received a letter last December from an extortion group, asking for a considerable amount of money in exchange for “protection” for the fish case operation.
Haruddin, who has been operating Barrios’ pumpboat for a year now, said Barrios did not bother reporting the extortion letter to the police.
De Ocampo said they are the same group could have been responsible for Barrios’ kidnapping.
