Town police chief S/Supt. Joselito Salido said they have asked assistance from the Philippine Navy in scouring the waters off Tawi-Tawi for the foreigners who were kidnapped by suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).
Salido said the Philippine Air Force has also deployed air assets to help in the search and rescue mission.
The abducted crew members were on board tugboat T/B Henry when they were attacked by at least five men in waters near Pondo Sibugal, Sitangkai.
One of the Indonesian crew was wounded in the attack, while four others were forcibly taken by the suspects, who fled on board a speedboat.
This is the third abduction incident involving foreign crew members in less than a month.
Last March, 10 Indonesian crew members on board a tugboat were also abducted by suspected ASG rebels near the Malaysian border.
Suspected ASG members group demanded a multi-million peso ransom for the release of the captives.
On April 1, the bandits also abducted four Malaysian crew members off Sabah, Malaysia.
The Malaysian government has imposed a temporary trade ban with southern Philippines, as the former pursues to intensify their maritime security.
Abu Sayyaf, known for kidnappings, beheadings, bombings and extortion, is one of the most hardline Islamist militant groups in the Muslim south of the largely Christian Philippines.
http://news.abs-cbn.com/nation/regions/04/17/16/ph-searches-for-4-indonesians-kidnapped-in-tawi-tawi
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