COTABATO CITY — The Police Regional Office 9 (PRO9) is actively investigating the reported abduction of American vlogger Elliot Onil Eastman in Sitio Tungawan, Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte.
According to initial reports, four armed men claiming to be law enforcement officers forcibly entered the area and abducted Eastman around 11 PM Thursday last night. Eyewitness accounts indicate that the victim resisted, sustaining a gunshot wound to his leg before the suspects took him away in a boat, likely heading towards Basilan or Sulu.
“We are on alert. We are conducting relentless monitoring now and have deployed our ground commanders who have territorial jurisdiction in the mentioned provinces,” Police Brigadier General Romeo Juan Macapaz, the newly installed regional director of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) police, said during a press conference on October 18 in Camp Salipada K. Pendatun, Parang, Maguindanao del Norte.
Police Colonel Helen Galvez, PRO9 spokesperson, stated that no ransom demand has been received so far, and authorities are still probing the motive behind the abduction.
The PRO9 is coordinating with various units involved in the investigation, including the Anti-Kidnapping Unit 9 and the Zamboanga del Norte Police Provincial Office. Additionally, the Bangsamoro Police are on high alert for any potential movement of the suspects into their area of responsibility.
Hot pursuit operations are ongoing, involving the Sibuco Municipal Police Station, the Marines, the Provincial Mobile Force Company, and other units in collaboration with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Authorities are urging anyone with information regarding the incident to come forward as they work diligently to locate Eastman and apprehend the suspects.
