MANILA -- A Japanese trader and three others who were abducted by six armed men at a southern Philippine beach resort were rescued June 16 by government troops, officials said.
Police Chief Inspector Noel Rosales said the four were abandoned by their abductors after a brief firefight with government troops in a mountainous area in the town of Glan in Sarangani province. Police said the four, along with a government engineer, were partying June 15 at the Celebes Beach resort in Sarangani's Taluya village when six armed men came in a motorboat and tried to rob them.
The 41-year-old engineer fought back and was shot to death by the men, who then abducted his 10-year-old son, a Japanese businessman identified as Kenichi Takayama, and two women. Takayama's hometown was not immediately available but he reportedly lives in General Santos, a city more than 30 km north of the resort. Police said they suspect either bandits or Muslim guerrillas from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which controls many areas of Sarangani province.