Philippine tugboat crew abducted by pirates

Manila: The Philippine Coast Guard has warned vessels sailing off the coast of Zamboanga del Norte, in the Siocon Bay area, to stay on alert following the abduction of a tugboat crew on Saturday.

Coast Guard spokesman, Commander Armand Balilo said nine heavily armed pirates boarded the tugboat M/T Marinero around 9pm Saturday and abducted the vessel's crew.

The Coast Guard identified the abducted crewmembers as Felipe Miranda, the vessel's skipper, Cecelio Layasan, the chief mate, and Radsie Magtanong, the chief engineer.

A report said the pirates took the vessel's global positioning system as well as the crew's mobile phones before fleeing to an unknown location.

The Philippine Navy has dispatched vessels to chase the suspects.