Thread: Military: Briton, Filipino Wife Kidnapped in Southern Philippines

Authorities in the southern Philippines were searching for a British citizen and his Filipino wife after a group of gunmen abducted them from a beach town in Zamboanga del Sur province on Friday evening, the military said.


The victims were identified as businessman Allan Arthur Hyrons, and his wife, Welma Paglinawan-Hyrons, officials said. The couple was seized around 6 p.m. Friday (local time) by six unidentified gunmen from a seaside resort in the town of Tukuran, said Captain Clint Antipala, spokesman for the Army’s 1st Infantry Division.


Antipala said it was not immediately known where the gunmen took the couple. He said the Army was coordinating with local police to investigate the kidnapping.


“We have alerted all the forces to look for these victims,” Antipala said.


An initial investigation revealed that four of the suspects apparently had waited for the couple, who were snatched as soon as they reached the beach resort.


“When the victims arrived at the resort, they were immediately abducted by the suspects and [put on] two motorized boats, which escaped separately,” according to an incident report by the army.


One of the boats headed in the open sea towards Pagadian City while the other one moved in the direction of Lanao del Norte province, officials said.


Muslim militants are known to operate in parts of the Philippine south, where foreigners have been the main victims of abductions in the region.


In May, Dutch national Ewold Horn was killed in a rescue attempt by the military, when soldiers engaged his Abu Sayyaf captors in a gunfight. He had been in captivity in the region since 2012. A Swiss national, Lorenzo Vinciguerra, who was abducted with Horn escaped after two years in captivity.


The Abu Sayyaf Group is the smallest of several armed groups that operate in the restive south, but it is considered the most brutal one. Three years ago, Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded two Canadian hostages and a German captive after their governments refused to pay ransoms for their release.


One of its leaders, Isnilon Hapilon, was later named the head of the Islamic State branch in the Philippines. He was killed in October 2017 along with his aides, at the end of a five-month battle with government forces after leading militants in a siege of the southern city of Marawi.
Haplion was replaced by Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, also a senior Abu Sayyaf commander, whose group was blamed for suicide bombings on southern Jolo island since January 2019.

https://www.benarnews.org/english/ne...019151342.html

I hope they keep their heads.

Re: the Op, why in the first place did they go there?! It's Zamboanga del Sur, one of the majority Muslim provinces in the South. Even if the lady was from the area, she should've known better than to bring her foreigner husband there - to that beach resort. It's just too risky...

I wouldn't bring white friends /acquaintances or advice white people to go there. They'll just be targets for kidnapping & the like.

I've watched some white travel vloggers, particularly the couple "making it happen". They're in PI now and plan to go on a motorbike trip all over the Visayan islands and Mindanao. Some places in Mindanao are safe, like Siargao, Davao City or Iligan City. Others, not too safe, so caveat emptor.

I'm sorry for the Filipina & her husband, and as Harry said, I hope they make it safely out and keep their heads.

Clearly Allan Arthur Hyrons is not the sharpest knife.

Originally Posted by katie23

Re: the Op, why in the first place did they go there?! It's Zamboanga del Sur, one of the majority Muslim provinces in the South. Even if the lady was from the area, she should've known better than to bring her foreigner husband there - to that beach resort. It's just too risky...

And it sounds as if said kidnappers knew they were coming.

Originally Posted by misskit

identified as businessman

Was he a resident or a passing holidaymaker? What was his "business", based in Philippines or elsewhere, involved in?

Originally Posted by OhOh

Was he a resident or a passing holidaymaker? What was his "business", based in Philippines or elsewhere, involved in?

Police and military officers are searching for the unidentified gunmen and the couple, who own two schools in addition to the resort in the coastal town, Mr delos Reyes said.

https://news.sky.com/story/british-m...-gang-11827888

Allan has dual-citizenship and has lived in the Zamboanga del Sur province since 2013. He and his wife own several businesses in the area, including two schools and the resort.

“They own a lot of properties and business so they are always moving. The suspects waited for the victims to arrive at the resort,” Galvez said.

Local officials are looking at a “personal grudge” as a possible motive for the abduction, CNN Philippines reported.

A nearly $20,000 reward is being offered by local authorities for information about the couple’s whereabouts.

https://nypost.com/2019/10/05/elderly-british-man-wife-abducted-from-their-philippines-resort/

Originally Posted by katie23

Even if the lady was from the area, she should've known better than to bring her foreigner husband there - to that beach resort. It's just too risky...

The whole thing does sound a tad on the risky side.

My erstwhile GF Miss Mindanao has resurfaced after going AWOL for 2 months and is asking if I would like to accompany her to her family reunion after Christmas in General Santos.

Now I like an adventure in the jungle every bit as much as the next fellow but having read this story I am in 2 minds about this mooted holiday excursion.

Originally Posted by katie23

Some places in Mindanao are safe, like Siargao, Davao City or Iligan City. Others, not too safe, so caveat emptor.

How restive is General Santos in your general estimation Miss Katie?

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

And it sounds as if said kidnappers knew they were coming.

Originally Posted by Looper

The whole thing does sound a tad on the risky side.

Well reading above, her and her husband owned it.

And it sounds like they were set up.

Originally Posted by Looper

My erstwhile GF Miss Mindanao has resurfaced after going AWOL for 2 months and is asking if I would like to accompany her to her family reunion after Christmas in General Santos.

AROOGAH AROOGAH. SOUND THE KLAXON HORN !

She wants to show off prospective marriage material...

More on this here

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/06/...-filipino-wife

The Brit has been living for 15 years in PI, is based in that town and they have several businesses there.


It does seem like the perpetrators really planned it, since the kidnapping coincided with a visit to a beach resort. Many kidnappings in Mindanao have been made near resorts or beach towns - there was the Pearl Farm kidnapping of 3 foreigners + Filipina wife/GF some years ago. Pearl Farm is an exclusive/ high end resort.

@loopy - General Santos City is "relatively" safe. I have a friend who's from there. I would be safe there, but I don't know for your case. Travel at your own risk. What does your state department say about travel in Mindanao? AFAIK, there's a US govt warning about travelling in certain areas in Mindanao. Your travel insurance would be void too, if you went to those "no go" areas.

Safety aspects aside, you do know what "meeting the family" means in Filipino culture? Or in any other culture, for that matter. If you're not ready to meet the fam, then opt to meet her in Cebu or Bohol island(s) instead. Near Bohol, there's Panglao island. I did a short thread about Bohol. Near Cebu, there's Bantayan & Kalanggaman islands. Just Google. Or Boracay - very touristy but the beach is VERY nice.

Originally Posted by katie23

More on this here

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/06/...-filipino-wife

The Brit has been living for 15 years in PI, is based in that town and they have several businesses there.


It does seem like the perpetrators really planned it, since the kidnapping coincided with a visit to a beach resort. Many kidnappings in Mindanao have been made near resorts or beach towns - there was the Pearl Farm kidnapping of 3 foreigners + Filipina wife/GF some years ago. Pearl Farm is an exclusive/ high end resort.

@loopy - General Santos City is "relatively" safe. I have a friend who's from there. I would be safe there, but I don't know for your case. Travel at your own risk. What does your state department say about travel in Mindanao? AFAIK, there's a US govt warning about travelling in certain areas in Mindanao. Your travel insurance would be void too, if you went to those "no go" areas.

Safety aspects aside, you do know what "meeting the family" means in Filipino culture? Or in any other culture, for that matter. If you're not ready to meet the fam, then opt to meet her in Cebu or Bohol island(s) instead. Near Bohol, there's Panglao island. I did a short thread about Bohol. Near Cebu, there's Bantayan & Kalanggaman islands. Just Google. Or Boracay - very touristy but the beach is VERY nice.

So do you think this is muslim whackjobs or just criminals out to get a ransom?

Or muslim whackjobs out to get a ransom?

^probably choice (c)