Remulla: 'Hot pursuit' ongoing to arrest perpetrators of Eastman abduction

Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla III said Tuesday that hot pursuit operations are ongoing to arrest the perpetrators in the abduction of American vlogger Elliot Eastman.

At a Palace press briefing, Remulla said it seems the incident was not a kidnapping case and that the matter was discussed with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. during a sectoral meeting. 

“Ah, nabanggit… from the latest information, it doesn’t sound like a kidnapping yet kasi wala pang ransom demand in actuality,” Remulla said. 

“Parang mayroong local na hidwaan doon sa community, parang hindi pagkakasundo. Anyways, we’re treating this as a kidnapping and the police are in hot pursuit of the perpetrators,” he added. 

The PRO-9 earlier reported that four men abducted Eastman from his in-laws' house in the municipality of Sibuco around 11 p.m. on October 17. 

Authorities said Eastman was said to have resisted but was shot in the leg and brought to a boat which headed for the high seas.

Eastman in his previous vlogs talked about “not being liked” in their area, saying that “they want bad things to happen” to him, and that people have been informing his family of threats to kidnap him.

The American national, married to a Filipino woman, was said to have been in the Philippines for five months.

—VAL, GMA Integrated News