A publicist for former Philippines president Fidel Ramos has gone missing and his family fears he has been kidnapped, police said Saturday.
The family of Salvador Dacer said his disappearance could be linked to allegations he was part of a political cabal behind "destabilization plots" against impeached President Joseph Estrada, who goes to trial for corruption next month.
Dacer, 63, and his driver disappeared around noon on Friday while being driven to his central Manila office, Manila police commander Chief Superintendent Avelino Razon said on ABS-CBN television.
He said there have been no reports of ambushes or abductions in Manila and nearby provinces during the period of his disappearance, and that police were tracking down the whereabouts of the missing man's van.
"We have also circulated pictures of Mr. Dacer and his driver," he added.
Dacer's family issued a statement saying it was cooperating with the police.
It said Dacer has been helping Ramos, a longtime friend, with his "PR needs" for free.
Ramos earlier this month asked Estrada to fire his advisers and to resign by December.
Estrada has rejected allegations of corruption and charged that the case against him is part of an opposition plot to destabilize his government. He has not specifically accused anyone of being behind this supposed plot.
"Any attempts to link our father to so-called destabilization plots are wrong," said the Dacer family's statement read by one of his daughters, Ampi Henson.
"We categorically state that he has no role in the prevailing political turmoil" -- MANILA (AFP)
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