Police admit upsurge in Metro kidnap cases

Police admitted yesterday that incidents of kidnapping-for-ransom are on the rise again in Metro Manila, victimizing members of rich Filipino families and wealthy traders of Filipino-Chinese descent.

A source at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters at Camp Crame said over the past weeks, kidnap syndicates operating in the metropolis have been noticeably active.

Police said the latest victim was a Filipino-Chinese businessman who was snatched in Sampaloc, Manila the other day.

Earlier this week, motorcycle-riding kidnappers swooped down on one of the owners of an upscale shopping center in the metropolis, but were foiled by security guards of the mall.

The scary experience forced the victim and his family to immediately pack up and go abroad.

Last week, another unidentified Filipino-Chinese trader was seized by armed men while on his way to the exclusive Wack Wack Golf Club in Mandaluyong City. The victim has not returned home since.

An Indian trader was seized by armed men on May 8 in Tambo, Parañaque, and was freed one week later after his family reportedly paid P1 million in ransom, plus the motorcycle used by the victim’s brother to deliver the money. The abductors initially demanded P5 million for his release.

Police said the victim was also manhandled by his captors.

Opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson, himself a former PNP chief, said earlier that kidnap-for-ransom gangs in the country have apparently shifted strategy and are now eyeing wealthy Filipinos, instead of members of the Filipino-Chinese community.

Lacson, who was also chief of the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF), said 70 percent of kidnapping victims in Metro Manila were Filipino businessmen.

Lacson belied the claim of incumbent PNP chief Director General Leandro Mendoza that kidnapping syndicates have shifted their operations from Metro Manila to the countryside.

"That is incorrect," Lacson pointed out, claiming he had documents from the PNP indicating that the peace and order situation in the country was deteriorating.

While Lacson did not reveal details of the documents or provide statistics, he said most of the kidnappings were never reported, adding that the police could hardly keep track of them if not for non-government organizations and anti-crime groups which monitor such abductions.

"The NGOs)will tell you how rampant and how disturbing the situation is," he said.

"To solve kidnapping, you simply solve individual cases. If we are not able to solve them, it will flourish because it will encourage more kidnappings," Lacson said, also belying the claim of National Anti-Kidnapping Task Force (NAKTAF) chief Deputy Director General Hermogenes Ebdane.

In a memorandum to all police units over the weekend, Ebdane claimed the NAKTAF had a "crime solution efficiency rating" of 60.6 percent. – Jaime Laude

The NAKTAF was originally created by President Arroyo to spearhead the drive against kidnappers, but its mission was later limited to cases involving Filipino-Chinese businessmen, while men under Mendoza’s command handled the kidnapping of Filipinos and other nationals.

Meanwhile, police were facing a blank wall on the month-long abduction of a secretary to the German ambassador, identified as Claudia Melo, and her husband Jose who were kidnapped by armed men while visiting Ifugao and Mountain Province on April 21.

Cordillera regional police director Chief Superintendent George Aliño said he has not received any report on the alleged kidnapping. Regional tourism director Pura Molintas also denied knowledge of the incident.

The Melos were released here on Apr. 27 after they were forced to withdraw, through bank automated teller machines, a total of P80,000 from their savings accounts, according to regional risk assessment firm Pacific Strategies Assessment.

There were no details on the kidnapping but local officials said 10 heavily armed men on board a Kia Besta van abducted the couple as they were on their way to visit Sagada, Mt. Province after visiting Banaue, Ifugao.

The couple were separately brought to Solano, Nueva Vizcaya to withdraw P20,000, the maximum daily withdrawal allowed through ATMs, from their account.

The victims were then brought to Bontoc, Mt. Province then to Tabuk, Kalinga before they were brought to Baguio City, where they stayed at the Villa Transient House along Lower P. Burgos street.