Shirley Fernandez, wife of Engr. Virgilio Fernandez Jr., said she would聽 approach Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez for assistance.
The mayor is her husband鈥檚 second degree cousin, Shirley said.
She said she is worried for her 60-year-old husband who takes聽 medication for his diabetes and high blood pressure.
Missing his daily medications would worsen his condition, she said.
Shirley, who learned about the kidnapping last Saturday,聽 said the family has yet to receive communication from authorities on her husband鈥檚 plight.
Her husband was supposed to arrive in Cebu City for his son Pierre鈥檚 birthday this week.
Shirley said the company that her husband worked for, Mace Construction, has not yet聽 update the聽 family about her husband鈥檚 whereabouts despite her phone calls.
She said she was disappointed with the company considering that the owner is a family friend.
Instead, Shirley said she asked a friend in Basilan to get updates on her husband鈥檚 kidnap case.
She said she聽 wants to take the next available flight to Basilan but is worried about her safety there.
For this, she is hoping to get assistance from Governor Garcia to ensure her safety and stay in Lamitan City while awaiting word for her husband鈥檚 condition.
As a policy, the national government does not negotiate for ransom of kidnap victims.
Nevertehless, Shirley said she is asking the governor to communicate with the Basilan government to rescue her husband.
The couple no longer live together, but Shirley said they still maintain a good relationship for their children and grandchildren.
She said he was supposed to arrive in聽 barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City,聽 last Saturday when the kidnapping occurred.
Shirley described Fernandez as a聽 kind-hearted, soft-spoken man.
She said she is praying that her husband鈥檚 captors are treating him well.
For his part, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he will look into what assistance the city聽 government can聽 give . He said he wasn鈥檛 aware of the full details about the kidnapping.
Councilor Jose Daluz III, chairman聽 of the budget and finance committee said they don鈥檛 have standby funds for such an emergency.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 even know if we will be allowed by the Commission on Audit (COA) to spend government funds for ransom,鈥� he said.
Earlier, police authorities in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), told the Inquirer by phone that the police were certain it was the Abu Sayyaf that was behind Fernandez鈥檚 kidnapping.
Chief Supt. Bienvenido Latag, chief of police, said witnesses identified the leader of the gunmen聽 who pulled聽 Fernandez from a company dump truck around 3:30 p.m. from Sitio Libi in Barangay Bulanting聽 as a certain Mosama Jamiri.
Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang, spokesman聽 of the military鈥檚 Western Mindanao Command, said Jamiri is a follower of notorious Abu Sayyaf leader Nurhassan Jamiri.
It was not immediately known if the two were related.
Chief Supt. Felicisimo Khu, head of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations in Western Mindanao, said Fernandez traveled on board a company dump truck from Muhammad Ajul town when he was snatched.
The kidnappers, he said, first disabled the truck by shooting one of its tires before forcibly taking the victim.
They then fled on a聽 motorcycle with the engineer, Khu said.
鈥淚ntelligence units were also tasked to monitor and support other operating troops in the area,鈥� Cabangbang said. Carine Ma. Asutilla and Doris C. Bongcac, With an Inquirer report