Abducted RoRo vessel chief engineer rescued in Basilan

Government troops rescued late Monday night the chief engineer of a roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) vessel kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf last week, a military official said Tuesday.

Major General Carlito Galvez Jr., Western Mindanao Command chief, said soldiers stationed in Basilan province found Laurencio Tiro on the shoreline of Sitio Sasa, Brgy Basakan, Hadji Mohammad Ajul (HMA) at 10:30 p.m.

He said the rescue was a result of four days of search-rescue-recovery operations by Joint Task Force Basilan aided by intelligence and civil-military cooperation with local government and police.

Tiro, chief engineer of Supershuttle Roro 9 Tugboat, was kidnapped along with Aurelio Agac-ac, captain of Super Shuttle T/B 1, last March 23 off Sibago Island, also in Basilan.

The victim was escorted to the headquarters of 19SFC in Brgy Dancalan, Lamitan City where a medical team was already waiting.

He was then brought at Western Mindanao Command headquarters at 6:30 a.m.??, Tuesday.

Tiro underwent medical check up at Camp Navarro General Hospital in Zamboanga City and will be transported back to his family on Tuesday afternoon, Galvez said. —Amita Legaspi/KBK, GMA News