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Teachers urge Arroyo to act for quick release of 3 abducted colleagues


MANILA, Philippines – The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) called on the Arroyo administration on Sunday to ensure the safe release of three public school teachers kidnapped by unidentified armed men in Mindanao last Friday. About 20 public school teachers belonging to ACT gathered at the Boy Scout Circle at the intersection of T. Morato and Timog Avenues in Quezon City, where they held a brief program and candle-lighting ceremony to call for the immediate release of their fellow teachers. Kidnapped last Friday were Freires Quizon, 29; Janette de los Reyes, 27; and Rafael Mayonado, 22. They were riding a boat from Sacol Island to Zamboanga City when abducted by armed kidnappers aboard a motorboat. They are now reportedly being held in Tuburan town on Basilan Island. According to news reports, the victims are teachers assigned to a public school in Barangay in Sacol Island, a few kilometers off the coast of Zamboanga City. "We condemn this kidnapping as a dastardly act," ACT chairperson Antonio Tino said. "The victims are ordinary public school teachers, young people who have made extraordinary personal sacrifices to provide education to a remote and impoverished community. By committing this cowardly abduction, the perpetrators have not only endangered the lives of these everyday heroes but also trampled on the right to education of hundreds of poor children in Sacol Island." ACT urged the Arroyo administration to mobilize all its resources to secure the freedom of the teachers. "What’s Malacañang doing to ensure the safe release of the teachers? So far, we’ve heard nothing," Tinio said. "We expect that this incident will be accorded the same level of attention as the other, perhaps more high-profile kidnapping cases in the area." ACT also scored the Department of Education and the Philippine National Police for their failure to provide a safe and secure working environment for the teachers. "Given the history of kidnappings in the area, victimizing people from all walks of life, were there any steps at all taken by DepEd as their employer as well as the police to provide teachers with additional security?" Tinio said. "We urge the authorities to implement measures that will ensure the safety of other public school teachers exposed to such threats to their life and liberty, particularly in conflict-ridden areas in Mindanao." - D'Jay Lazaro, GMANews.TV
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