PNP to form single anti-kidnapping body

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is consolidating its various anti-kidnap-for-ransom units and task forces into a single body for a more vigorous campaign against kidnapping, Deputy Director General Hermogenes Ebdane said yesterday.

Appearing before the House committee on public order and security, Ebdane, chief of the National Anti-Kidnapping Task Force, said the single anti-kidnapping agency would have area offices for Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao to deter the operations and proliferation of kidnap syndicates.

"We cannot allow these kidnap-for-ransom syndicates to continue to blight the country’s image and erode our economic gains," Ebdane told the committee, which is conducting hearings on House Resolutions 412 and 434.

The resolutions seek to probe the alleged involvement of certain police officers with the Pentagon kidnap-for-ransom gang.

In a related development, the French police are set to train selected personnel of the PNP in chemical and bacterial warfare as part of the international move to counter terrorism following the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

Director Florencio Fianza, chief of the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM), said the French government’s General dela Police Nationale through its Ministry of de Pinterieur has offered to share its knowledge and expertise with Filipino counterparts.

Aside from creating a single anti-kidnapping body, Ebdane also proposed the creation of special courts to try exclusively kidnapping cases.

He said the establishment of special courts would fast track the review by courts of existing cases, specifically the 60 death penalty and 11 life term convictions against convicted kidnap-for-ransom members, and enforce the wire-tapping law against KFR groups.

The committee members as well as junior police officers present during the hearing overwhelmingly supported the move. The junior officers said they are behind the consolidation efforts initiated by Ebdane as this will give all police units and task forces one office to follow in its operations against kidnapping.

Rep. Antonio Cuenco (second district, Cebu), author of HR 434, lauded Ebdane’s plan, saying this would effectively address issues of duplication of functions among the various police units and task forces. "Kidnapping syndicates have displayed a mockery of our police task forces who have to show a united front in curbing kidnapping," Cuenco said.

Cuenco said the committee should include the single body creation as among its proposed remedial measures in arresting the rampage of kidnapping activities.

Tarlac Rep. Benigno Aquino III , committee vice chairman and presiding officer, also supported the creation of a single anti-kidnapping office. He noted that because of the multiplicity of police units and task forces, significant progress against the twin menace of illegal drugs and kidnapping has yet to be made.

Other congressmen urged Ebdane to fast track the creation of the single anti-kidnapping body in view of the spate of kidnapping activities, which have discouraged the outpour of foreign investments.

They added consolidating all anti-kidnapping task forces would prove that the PNP is serious in ridding the organization of scalawags involved in crime syndicates.

Ebdane, meanwhile, informed the committee that the PNP has launched an "education for kidnap prevention" program for threatened families.

He said the campaign educates people so they would not be victimized by kidnap-for-ransom syndicates. People are also educated how they could facilitate rescue operations should tragedy occur, Ebdane said.

Meanwhile, police officials explained that the training on bacterial and chemical warfare will equip local police with skills to prevent another wave of anthrax virus-related incidents that swept the United States after Sept. 11.

The French authorities will also train selected PNP personnel in handling terrorism psychology, learning the terror groups’ strategy in Jihad-based areas and known al-Qaeda networks.

A representative based in Singapore is coordinating with the French government for the specialized training. Fianza is set to leave for Europe this weekend to map out details. — Christina Mendez