Two men were kidnapped in the southern Philippines yesterday, hours before security forces recovered an Agriculture Department employee seized by gunmen two weeks ago, officials said. Marine Col. Ben Dolorfino said the two victims — Vincent Jariol, an engineer, and Gerald Tumawis — were abducted before midnight on Wednesday in Iligan City, 810 kilometers south of Manila. Dolorfino said the victims were traveling aboard a van in downtown Iligan when armed men blocked their path and took control of their vehicle. "The vehicle was recovered in a resort in Pantao town in nearby Lanao del Norte province," he said. "Traces of blood were seen inside the vehicle but it could not yet be ascertained if the blood was from the victims or the suspects." Dolorfino said investigators were still determining the motive behind the abductions and were already following up some leads.The new kidnapping occurred hours before marines and policemen recovered Rogelio Creencia, a soil and water management specialist and regional coordinator of the Department of Agriculture in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Muslim, in Matungao town in Lanao del Norte. Gunmen seized Creencia on Feb. 14 in the town of Tugaya in nearby Lanao del Sur province and demanded 200,000 pesos for his safe release. Marine spokesman Capt. Rommel Abrau said Creencia was released in the hinterlands after successful negotiations by provincial governor Bashier Manalao, officials said. Authorities said no ransom was paid for Creencia's freedom, but other sources claimed tens of thousands of pesos were paid to the kidnappers as fees for the victim's "board and lodging."