Tom: Probe kidnapping

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña wants a probe into the reported kidnapping of the 26-year old son of a trader based in Carbon Market.

In his regular news conference yesterday afternoon, the mayor said he was surprised to hear about this kidnapping incident.

He said that when he called up Carbon Police chief Dorotheo Mantos to get details on the incident, the mayor barely got any information from the police chief since the parents of the victim do not like to cooperate with them.

"If people don't like to cooperate, we will have a hard time solving this problem. The initial feedback is that the parents don't like to cooperate. Anyway, we will look into this," he said. On the other hand, a relative of the victim, who requested anonymity, told The Freeman that the kidnapping occurred last November 2.

The victim was released after his parents, who are traders in Carbon market, paid P7.5 million in ransom a week after the incident at a food chain in Mandaue City.

The parents later fetched their son in an abandoned shanty in barangay Pit-os, Cebu City. He said that the parents have refused to report the incident to the police after they were warned by the kidnappers not to report such to the authorities or to the media.

The victim comes from a family of well-known traders in Carbon market. The family has reportedly left Cebu for a vacation.

The source also expressed his concerns on the case for fear that there may be another victim due to non-cooperation of his relatives.

A reliable source told The Freeman that the parents of the victim are members of the Cebu Market Vendors Development Cooperative (Cemvedco), the largest cooperative of vendors from Units 1 to 3 in Carbon Market with 1,900 members. They have been part of the group for the past seven years.

He disclosed the couple started from scratch and has been in the business for 20 years supplying approximately 50 percent of the needs for spices like garlic and onion in the whole Cebu. The couple buys their supply from Manila.

The victim, who was married only a few years ago, is the only child of the couple. During the Cemvedco meeting two weeks ago, shortly after the victim was released by his captors, the parents reportedly begged that the matter be kept from the media and the police for fear that the perpetrators of the crime might get back at them.

The victim reportedly said his captors were four men in police uniform and even had badges. The abductors reportedly threatened to get at back at him and his family if they would report the matter to the media or to the police.

The incident took place at dawn of November 2 along V. Rama Avenue, near Taboan Public Market. After the victim was released, the source told The Freeman the family still continues conducting business in Carbon but that instead of opening their stalls from around 2 am to 10 pm, they have shortened their business hours and start later in the day and close around mid-afternoon.

Although they did not hire bodyguards, the victim is now accompanied always by his uncle. The source said that the Cemvedco members are now implementing security measures to protect their members against kidnappers and other crimes. - Cristina C. Birondo and Gregg M. Rubio