A challenge to his administration was the kidnapping of 12 Carmelite nuns from their Marawi hilltop convent by lawless group of men. From the Vatican, Pope John Paul II appealed to their captors to release the nuns who were later brought to Lumbayanague across south of Lake Lanao. After two weeks of continued search, Pangarungan led government security forces and encircled the kidnappers' holdout. Under heavy pressure, the outnumbered kidnappers were forced to release all the nuns, safe and unharmed.
