Kidnapped girl rescued in S Philippines

A 14-year old school girl was rescued by lawmen on Wednesday in a botched kidnapping attempt in a southern Philippine city, police said on Thursday. The suspect, wearing a bonnet and armed with a handgun, barged into the home of the victim surnamed De Asis at a subdivision in Libertad village, Butuan City in Mindanao's Agusan del Norte province around 1 a.m., rousing the family from sleep, said Superintendent Martin Gamba, spokesperson of Caraga regional police. The assailant demanded 20, 000 pesos (465 U.S. dollars), but the mother refused, prompting him to seize the victim, brought her to the Chinese cemetery in nearby Bancasi village, said Gamba. Responding policemen found the terrified victim in the middle of the cemetery, apparently left behind by the suspect who fled hours after grabbing the child. Follow-up and pursuit operations are now being conducted by authorities to locate and arrest the suspect.