The military has put its manpower and other resources at the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) disposal should extra muscle be needed to rescue kidnapped American vlogger Elliot Eastman from his armed captors.
Eastman was abducted by four men from his in-laws’ house in the coastal town of Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte on the evening of Oct. 17.
Witnesses said the 26-year-old YouTube content creator was first shot in the leg before being thrown into a waiting motorboat and spirited off to an unknown location.
Colonel Margareth Padilla, the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) spokesperson, said all the military needs to get involved in the search is a request from the police or other law enforcement agencies.
“The AFP stands as a partner to the PNP and any other law enforcement unit in maintaining peace and order in our country. Our cooperation is always geared toward the best interest of the Filipino people, ensuring the safety and security of our nation,” she told reporters on Monday.
Padilla, however, clarified that the AFP can only function in a support capacity and the PNP will continue to be the lead agency in any future rescue operation.
Meanwhile, the Police Regional Office 9 (PRO-9), which has jurisdiction over Zamboanga Peninsula, said Eastman’s abductors have yet to issue ransom demands or offer any “proof of life” on their captive.
Proof of life refers to physical evidence usually offered by abductors to prove that their kidnap victim is still alive.
On Monday, PRO-9 spokesperson Police Colonel Helen Galvez said the kidnappers have yet to make contact with authorities in the Philippines or the United States.
“The tracking efforts and investigation are still ongoing… We still have no proof of life and no contact from the abductors. Both here in the Philippines and also in the US, no such communication has been received yet,” she said in an interview.
Galvez claimed that investigators are already looking into some persons of interest after interviewing individuals who witnessed Eastman being snatched.
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