25 year old Alexander "Alex" Lim was spending June 8th much as he always did, supervising construction projects undertaken by the family firm, D L Construction. Based in Misamis Occidental Province's municipality of Ozamiz City, the company concentrates on Government projects such as the rehabilitation of Narciso Ramos National Hiway. In fact, it was that particular job that occupied Alex's mind that morning as he left the company compound. Driving the company's Toyota Fortuner was Alex's driver, Edgar Gomez. Along for the ride was Engineer Boyet "Henry" Alumbra, a private consultant contracted by the Government who was travelling with the pair in order to inspect D L's latest work on the road project. The trio planned to spend the morning inspecting work across the provincial line, in Lanao del Norte Province's town of Linamon. The company had just finished paving a stretch from that municipality's Barangay Samboron leading into the outskirts of Iligan City. Then, afterward, they planned to drop Mr.Alumbra off in the next province of Misamis Oriental, so that he could sign off on the work at the Regional DPWH, or Department of Public Works and Highways Office in Cagayan del Oro City.
By 925AM the group had entered Linamon and were just about to reach their destination in Barangay Samboron when they fell into line at a joint LTO/PNP (Land Transportation Office/Philippine National Police) checkpoint. As the SUV inched forward the three men hadn't noticed five men, all pointing M16s and in uniform surrounding their vehicle. Ordered to exit their vehicle the three were shunted towards a black Toyota Tamaraw FX and ordered to climb in. As two of the gunmen got into the D L Construction SUV the two vehicles left Linamon heading south.
Crossing the border into Lanao del Sur Province the two vehicles entered the municipality of Balo-i. Suddenly the vehicles pulled over in front of Balo-i Elementary School and after divesting him of his personal identification ordered Mr.Alumbra out and ordered him not to report the kidnapping to anyone lest they have to re-visit him under less amicble circumstances. Driving through Balo-i the vehicles again pulled over after entering Barangay Sarip Alawi. This time it was Mr.Gomez who was ordered out of the Tamaraw after being given that same threatening warning. Now only holding Mr.Lim the 2 vehicles proceeded on into Marawi City. On the edge of town the two vehicles pulled over once again. After setting the D L Construction SUV on fire the two gunmen who had occupied it got into the Tamaraw and drove with Mr.Lim into captivity.
From the typically ridiculous first demand of P20 Million ($475,000) negotiations for Mr. Lim's ransom ended up progressing very smoothly until, on July 9th, 2011 a representative of Lim's father handed over 1.5 Million Pesos ($33,000). On July 11th Alexander "Alex" Lim was released in the municipality of Saguiaran in Lanao del Sur Province.
Co-incidentally, this is the specific KFR, or Kidnap for Ransom that the AFP, or Armed Forces of the Philippines' Colonel Daniel Lucero, Commanding Officer of the 103rd Brigade, has used as his rationale in pinning all recent KFRs within his AOR, or Area of Responsibility (as in "Area of Operation") on the Kuratong Baleng. As I noted in at least one recent KFR entry the Kuratong were a paramilitary, from Ozamiz City, who were co-opted by the AFP in the early-1980s in its COIN, or Counterinsurgency struggle against the NPA. After the group's de-activation at the end of the 1980s they fissured into roving criminal bands, almost all of whom operated on Luzon and to a lesser extent in the Visayas Region. Even if they were still in existence, and they are not, they could never operate in Muslim-dominated Lanao del Sur Province. They were Bisaya.
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