Manila - Gunmen have abducted a retired US Marine and his daughter in the Philippines, but released the former serviceman hours later to raise ransom for his daughter, police said Monday. The suspects barged into the house of Filipino-American Ver Loyola in Tagaytay City, just south of Manila, on Sunday evening and seized him and his 19-year-old daughter, Cristina.
Senior Inspector Pamela Helaga, a regional police spokeswoman, said the suspects even used the victims' car to drive away from their house.
Helaga said the kidnappers released Loyola about three hours later, but demanded that he raised 3 million pesos (66,600 dollars) for his daughter's release.
According to the police, kidnappings-for-ransom in the Philippines have hit a 15-year low with the neutralization of most kidnapping gangs.
Most kidnappings occur in the southern region of Mindanao, where Muslim militants are often blamed for the crime.
Earlier in the month, a former vice mayor and a policeman were arrested for kidnapping a retired pilot and his driver in near Tagaytay. The hostages were later found dead.
