Just 26 days after the three teachers in Zamboanga was released by their kidnappers, another educator was abducted in Sulu last Monday.

Gabriel Canizares, 36, principal of Kanague Elementary School in Patikul, Sulu was abducted by an unidentified group of men late Monday afternoon.

Canizares is the seventh public educator kidnapped this year. The other six teachers were abducted earlier this year in Zamboanga, and were released last May and September.

DepEd secretary Jesli Lapus appealed to the principal’s abductors Wednesday for the safe and immediate release of Canizares.

“We appeal to the abductors of the ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) school principal to treat him humanely and release him immediately,” Lapus said.

“Education personnel are serving the community and must be spared from harm or criminal acts. Otherwise, communities become the eventual losers as education is imperilled,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) condemned the latest abduction and the apparent negligent security measures by the authorities to protect their people in the said province.

“We condemn these kidnappers for abducting yet another teacher, someone who has dedicated his life to serving the community by providing education in one of the poorest areas in the country,” said ACT national chairperson Antonio Tinio.