Ex-kidnap victim visits former school in Zamboanga City

By Queenie Casimiro, ABS-CBN News Zamboanga | 07/02/2009 11:31 PM

ZAMBOANGA CITY - After almost six months, a teacher who was kidnapped in Zamboanga City visited the school where he and two of his co-teachers were forcibly taken by a group of armed men earlier this year.

Quizon Freires braved not only the bad weather, but his fears, and travelled on Thursday morning to Landang Gua Integrated School which is situated in an island.

Freires said that events that led to their abduction flashed in his mind as the pumpboat she rode took the same route that he and co-teachers Janet de los Reyes and Rafael Mayonado took when they were waylaid in the morning of January 23.

De los Reyes and Mayonado were reportedly still not prepared to travel to the island again.

Freires said he decided to visit the school as part of his recovery from the trauma that the kidnapping caused. "Part of my moving-on is to see again my former students and to tell them that I can't teach here again," Freires said.

Tears and hugs welcomed Freires as he stepped on the island. Freires was the adviser of the school's second-year level.

Nurmini Bara, a former student of Freire, said that although she is sad that their teacher decided not to teach in the island again, she said she understand why he made such a decision.

After De los Reyes ties the knot with his boyfriend reportedly on July 8, Freires said he plans to move to Manila where he hopes to find another job.

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