Police sources identified the victim as Angela Pineda, 14, a student of Tabernacle of Saints School in San Juan and daughter of dermatologist Vinzons Pineda, inventor of the hair grower Minoxidil.
Pineda was supposedly abducted at around 6:45 a.m. yesterday while she was on her way to school with three schoolmates, two nannies and family driver Emilio Antarejos.
They were in Pineda’s Hyundai Starex van when they were blocked by a maroon Toyota Revo with WES 277 license plates at the corner of Shaw Boulevard and Calderon street in Mandaluyong City.
Four unidentified men in black, armed with high-powered firearms, rushed at the van and pointed their rifles at Antarejos, ordering him to open the van’s door.
Antarejos said he thought the men were policemen because they were wearing long-sleeved black shirts.
"I thought they were just going to cite me for a traffic violation so I readily acceded to their demands," Altarejos said in Filipino.
The suspects then grabbed Angela and dragged her into their vehicle, where another unidentified man waited at the wheels. The two nannies tried to intervene but the suspects hit them with the butts of their rifles.
One of the suspects grabbed the van’s keys from Altarejos and warned him and the nannies not to report the incident to the police before they sped off toward Pasig City.
The incident was not entered on the Mandaluyong City police blotter and city police chief Superintendent Sukarno Ikbala refused to comment but sources at the National Anti-Kidnapping Task Force (NAKTAF) police sources said Altarejos is now being questioned by the police.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Leandro Mendoza ordered the Mandaluyong City police to intensify its recovery operations but noted that the victim’s family refused to cooperate with the authorities.
Mendoza sad the PNP would employ the most vigorous campaign against kidnapping gangs because of its impact on the economy.
"We have to employ the most vigorous campaign against kidnapping gangs because it affects not only the Chinese community but also other sectors of society, even the economy," Mendoza said during a breakfast forum at the Manila Hotel.
"These activities are not only profitable. We can see that sometimes there are many motives for kidnappings," he added.
While the PNP chief said they are still investigating the abduction, Mendoza hinted that there is a possibility the kidnapping may not be a simple abduction case.
"I can’t say that politics in involved but we are making an in-depth investigation. We don’t have any conclusion about that," Mendoza said.
The PNP chief noted that even the recent kidnapping of the wife of an official of the French embassy and of the wife of a police official appeared to be non-monetary in nature.
At the same time, Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao contested the claim of anti-crime crusader Teresita Ang-See of the Citizens Action Against Crime and Corruption (CACC) that kidnappings in the country have not abated and have in fact increased.
Tiglao noted that Ang-See was a member of the National Anti-Crime Commission (NACC) and she should be aware of the fact that the NACC has neutralized at least seven kidnapping gangs in the past few months.
"Mrs. Ang-See should bring her concerns to the NACC so that they can be acted upon instead of airing Cassandra-like statements to the media," Tiglao said.
According to Greek mythology, Cassandra was granted powers of prophecy by Apollo but was also cursed that no one would believe her. Cassandra is now used as a synonym for any prophet of doom.
"We’re just appealing for her to be more circumspect in her statements," Tiglao added.
He re-issued copies of the results of the Pulse Asia survey, conducted in Sept. 22 and Oct. 4, showing improved approval ratings for President Arroyo and indicating the people’s satisfaction on the government’s peace and order situation. - With reports from Cecille Suerte Felipe, Marichu Villanueva