By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Residents of Barangay Inayawan, Cauayan, Negros Occidental, were alarmed after mistaking a motorboat with reportedly 10 occupants for Abu Sayyaf terrorist, last week.
According to eyewitness accounts, the boat was spotted around 9:00 p.m. on Friday, with the group supposedly disappearing into the mountains. Locals reported the sighting to authorities who learned the “10” were actually two tourists.
The tourists were later identified as 74-year-old Frank Vlasquez and his 11-year-old daughter, whom the authorities have not named, both of whom are American citizens.
Vlasquez said they were sailing from the town of Bacong, in Negros Oriental, bound for the beach resorts in Sipalay City, when their boat accidentally ran aground, causing their boat’s engine to break down.
He said they were at sea for almost 13 hours, before they managed to make landfall in Cauayan.
Vlasquez expressed his disgust during an interview with BomboRadyo-Bacolod, after he was accused by the local residents of having links to Abu Sayyaf, and demanded to speak with the individuals who spread the information.
Cauayan town police chief, Police Chief Inspector Ruben Pajarito, meanwhile, assured locals there are no terrorists in the town and corroborated Vlasquez’s claims./WDJ