Vice-mayor charged over businessman's kidnapping

Zamboanga City: Criminal charges has been filed against a local official in Basilan Province for alleged involvement in the kidnap for ransom of a businessman last month.

Zamboanga City Police Chief Senior Superintendent Mario Yanga said a case of kidnapping for ransom with serious illegal detention has been filed by victim Eliseo Hablo Jr. against Simisip Town Vice-Mayor John Janatul, brother in-law of the principal suspect in the abduction, lawyer-businessman Atty Hassan G. Alam who is former President of the Zamboanga Barter Traders Association.

Yanga said the participation of Janatul was exposed in a sworn statement by Marvin Agullana and Mark Ausley who were also involved in the kidnapping.

In his sworn statement, Marvin Agullana said: "I heard Atty Alam telling Vice Mayor Janatul that he (Alam) is looking for someone to negotiate with the family of Hablo. Alam called and sought the assistance of Lepeng Wee (prominent local businessman) but then I could not understand their conversation because they were talking in English. On the following morning, I was sitting on the porch of the house of Alam drinking a cup of coffee, he then arrived and sat near me and after a while his brother in-law Vice-Mayor Janatul arrived and started conversing with Alam."

Alam is now detained at the Zamboanga City Police Station and a case of kidnapping with illegal detention was filed against him in court. Hablo was rescued by the police on February 10 in a raid conducted by a police team led by Yanga in Zamboanga City.

The same day that Hablo was rescued, Alam and two policemen were arrested by authorities in connection with the abduction.

Alam, 62, is is a former president of the Zamboanga Barter Traders' Kilusang Bayan, Inc.