Unidentified gunmen stormed a plywood factory in Maluso, Basilan early Tuesday and abducted three people whom they chanced upon inside, triggering some security adjustments amid the beheading of a school principal in the nearby island province of Sulu on Monday.

Senior Superintendent Abubakar Tulawi, chief of the Basilan Provincial Police Office, said they are yet to identify the perpetrators of the new case of kidnapping although he said that the 30 heavily-armed men who stormed the Hi-Tech Woodcraft Corporation in Sitio Botong, Barangay Townsite, at around 12:30 a.m. yesterday are clad in camouflage uniforms.

“The said abductors forcibly entered by destroying the wooden fence located at the back portion of the factory,” said Tulawi.

He identified the victims as Michael Tan, 27; Oscar Lu, 51; and, Mark Singson. It was not clear, however, if the first two are the owners of the plywood factory but the latter was confirmed to be a laborer in the establishment.

The official said it was local residents who reported the incident after hearing several gunshots emanating from the factory. The responding policemen then confirmed later that the three were kidnapped.

“They fled towards unknown direction… there is no contact yet but the investigation is ongoing,” said Tulawi, adding that pursuit operations are now being conducted to rescue the three victims.

Intelligence reports, however, revealed that the victims and their captors headed towards the hinterlands of Mahayahay town.

The latest kidnapping incident in Basilan came as President Arroyo ordered a massive manhunt against members of the Abu Sayyaf Group who were tagged as the ones who beheaded elementary school principal Gabriel Canizares whose severed head were discovered near a gasoline station in Jolo yesterday morning.

The body was later found a few hours later several meters away from a Marines camp also in Jolo.

The recent kidnapping in Basilan, on the other hand, occurred some 400 meters away from an Army camp, said Tulawi.

While local investigators are yet to identify the perpetrators, recent kidnapping incidents in Basilan are either perpetrated by the Basilan-based ASG led by Furuji Indama or erring Moro rebels as in the case of six teachers abducted in Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga City and other kidnapping cases in the past.