2 coast guard men, village chief, abducted in Philippines

Gunmen clad in military uniform abducted two Philippine coast guard personnel and a village chief Monday morning on a southern island then sped away in two motorboats, police said.

It said the unarmed victims were snatched in a village hall on Aliguay island in southern Dapitan City. They were being pursued.

Police have not identified suspects, but witnesses said the abductors wore military uniforms and spoke Tagalog, not the local dialect. Tagalog is spoken in the national capital Manila and nearby provinces.

Separately, police said four masked gunmen in camouflage uniforms seized a finance officer of a mining company on Sunday at a beach resort in southern Tawi-Tawi province's Bongao town. The assailants dragged the victim into a speedboat and fled westward.

An investigation was underway to determine the motive and identities of the gunmen.

Several armed groups operate in the two provinces where the abductions occurred, including Abu Sayyaf extremists.