ISABELA, Basilan – About 20 gunmen believed to be members of the Abu Sayyaf Group raided at dawn Tuesday a plywood factory in Maluso town in this province and abducted three factory workers, a day after suspected ASG bandits beheaded a school principal whom they kidnapped in Sulu province last month.

Basilan Vice Governor Al Rasheed Sakalahul said the armed men disguised themselves as soldiers and barged into the Hi-tech Wood Craft Corporation where they took the three workers, two of whom are ethnic Chinese.

The raiders disarmed a guard before they seized caretakers Michael Tan, 27, and Oscar Lu, 51, and laborer Michael Singson.

Another factory guard, Sakilan Lumayon, opened fire on the gunmen as they fled with the three captives, but it was unknown whether he hit anyone, said Sakalahul.

“We still don’t know who was behind the abductions. There is an ongoing investigation and government troops are tracking down the gunmen and their hostages,” Sakalahul said. “Ransom could be the reason behind the abduction of the two caretakers.”

The Abu Sayyaf and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front are both actively operating in Basilan province and had been previously linked to kidnaps for ransom.

A faction of the Abu Sayyaf also beheaded on Monday school principal Gabriel Canizares in Patikul, Sulu after his family failed to raise P2 million in ransom.

His severed head was found Monday in a gasoline station in the capital town of Jolo.

In September, Abu Sayyaf militants in Basilan freed three kidnapped government teachers after private negotiators paid millions of pesos in ransom.

The teachers, Noemi Mandi, Jocelyn Enriquez and Jocelyn Inion, were released in separate places in the towns of Tipo-Tipo and Ungkaya Pukan in Basilan.

Western Mindanao Command spokesman, Maj. Ramon David Hontiveros said incident occurred at around 12:10 a.m. when the suspects, wearing camouflage uniforms, forcibly entered the plywood factory in Sitio Butong, Barangay Townsite, Maluso.

Wesmincom chief Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino has ordered a massive manhunt against the abductors as well as the group responsible for the beheading of Canizares, who was seized on October 19 while on board a public utility jeep (PUJ) with his co-teachers in barangay Tanum, Patikul.

Authorities said the suspects demanded for ransom in exchange for the principal’s release but this was not met by the victim’s family.

Armed Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. said the latest kidnapping could be “a diversionary tactic, but then alam naman ng mga grupo na ito na magkakaiba rin yung mga tropa natin that will address these different incidents ng kidnapping.

“So yung mga tropa natin dito sa Basilan are currently pursuing those who kidnapped itong tatlo and yung mga tropa naman natin under Task Force Comet ang siyang humahabol dun sa grupo na na kumidnap dito kay Canizares.”

The 1st Marine Brigade based in Basilan has dispatched a company of Force Reconnaissance Marines and another Special Operations platoon from the Marine Battalion Landing Team to pursue the kidnappers of Tan, Lu, and Singson.

Senior Supt. Abubakar Tulawi , chief of the Basilan Provincial Police Office, also said the police have launched pursuit operations.

“They fled towards unknown direction…there is no contact yet but the investigation is ongoing,” said Tulawi.

The latest abductions occurred as the police, military and MILF rebels have readied troops to search and rescue Irish Columban priest Fr. Michael Sinnott, who was seized October 11 in Pagadian City.

The kidnappers of the 78-year-old missionary priest are demanding $2 million for the release of the hostage, a move quickly rejected by the Catholic congregation and President Arroyo. (With reports from Elena Aben, Bong Reblando and Aaron Recuenco)