Abducted Maranao kids freed for P90T ransom

Two Maranao children who were abducted last month were finally released after their abductors were paid a P90,000 ransom 18 days after they were kidnapped in barangay Day-as.

The children, aged 8 and eight months old, are now in the care of their parents, Pauli and Saidali Manabilang, following their abduction on February 20 at their rented house along Sikatuna Street.

The Manabilang couple alleged that it was their business partners couple Jahmal and Rauna Rascal and the Rascals' cousin, Michelle, who kidnapped their daughters.

Saidali, the mother of the victims, said that the Rascal couple was their business partners in selling pirated video compact discs on Colon Street.

Although she admitted that they have unpaid loans to the couple, she said that it was not the reason for the Rascal family to kidnap her daughters.

She said that while she and her husband were at the Colon area at 5 p.m. last February 20, Ruana and Michelle went to their rented room in Sikatuna Street and abducted her daughters.

Although many saw the two women take her children, Saidali said no one was able to stop the suspects because they identified themselves as their cousins.

Saidali said that when she came home that afternoon, she even saw the two women tagging her two children but it was already too late for her to chase them as they already boarded a taxi.

At 10 p.m. that day, Saidali said that she received a call through her cell phone from the couple informing her that they would bring the children to Mindanao and that they would only return the kids if she and her husband would pay them P90,000 ransom.

But since the couple had no money to pay for ransom, they sought the help of the Maranao association in Cebu City. But the money collected was not enough so the couple sold their stall on Colon area to come up with the money.

They then sought the help of the Parian police and Investigation and Detective Management Section chief Paul Labra who immediately coordinated with the regional office of the Presidential Anti-Crime Emergency Response.

The PACER then coordinated with the Lanao del Sur Provincial Police Office after the abductors informed the parents of the victims that they were currently in Maguing town in Lanao del Sur.

The suspects instructed the couple to deposit the P90,000 to the ATM account of Jahmal. When the money was already deposited, the suspects then told the couple to fetch their children in barangay Bato-bato in Maguing town.

With the help of their cousins - SPO1 Mamintal Raquim and his brother PO1 Ashir Raquim of the Lanao del Sur police - and three other negotiators, they were able to trace the whereabouts of the abductors in Maguing town. - Flor Z. Perolina