San Juan cops under fire

San Juan policemen are under fire as Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina Jr. ordered yesterday an investigation into alleged delay in police response to Friday morning’s kidnapping of two children of Negros Occidental Rep. Julio Ledesma despite emergency calls received through the "117" police "hot line."

In his weekly radio program "Sagot Ko Yan" over dzMM, Lina said he was particularly interested in knowing why the Eastern Police District (EPD), which has jurisdiction over San Juan where the kidnapping was committed, did not lay down dragnets for the capture of the kidnappers of Cristina Julieta Victoria Ledesma, 10, and her brother Julio Carlos Tomas, 5, Ledesma’s children by his late wife Marivi.

Records showed that the PNP hot line received the calls at exactly 7:04 a.m. and the ongoing crime was flashed to the EPD headquarters within one minute alerting all mobile patrol cars about it.

Lina told The STAR that he has talked to one of the callers, but refused to identify the witness or give further details about his testimony.

Initial reports indicated, however, that the attack on the Ledesma children took place at about 7:30 a.m. at the intersection of A. Mabini and Burgos streets in Barangay Addition Hills, San Juan.

"I want this looked into. This will be our case study because we already had a previous experience of a successful rescue after the kidnapping was reported at the 117 emergency hot line," Lina said.

He cited a kidnapping incident in Navotas last year when the police, acting with dispatch on a report through the 117 hot line, arrested the suspects and rescued the victim.

Lina said the rescue operation was over in seven minutes after the call came in.

"That was the fastest kidnapping case we have solved," Lina pointed out.

He said he would ask Philippine National Police chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. to inquire why the EPD failed to follow standard operating procedures which called for the immediate setting up of dragnets against the suspects.

During the program, Lina also revealed that the police and military hierarchy have agreed to share information on criminal activities within their ranks.

He said the information-sharing scheme was meant to set the stage for a purge of the PNP and the Armed Forces of the so-called "hoodlums in uniform."

"We are focusing on cleansing the police and the military ranks," Lina said.

Meanwhile, private school owners urged the PNP to strengthen security in their schools to prevent future abductions of students.

Eleazar Kasilag, president of the Federation of Associations of Private School Administrators, branded as "highly deplorable" .the kidnapping of Ledesma’s two children.

"It’s really saddening to hear young children being subjected to such a traumatic experience. I just hope they will be recovered soon and safely," Kasilag said.

The victims were snatched in San Juan by at least four heavily armed men while they were on their way to their schools early Friday morning.

The abductors have allegedly demanded P50 million for the children’s release, but this has not been confirmed by the police or the Ledesma family.

"School security guards are not trained to deal with unlawful elements like kidnappers. Policemen should make themselves visible near school premises to deter criminals from pursuing their illegal activities," Kasilag said.

The abduction dealt a serious blow to President Arroyo’s all-out anti-crime campaign, with a warning to police officials to stamp out heinous crimes or be stripped of their posts.

Ledesma, boyfriend of Italian-Filipino sexy actress Assunta de Rossi, was not with the children when they were seized by at least four armed men aboard a maroon Isuzu Hilander with license plates WDC 549 and a Starex van that blocked their Ford Mark III van.

Armed men came out from the two vans and fired at the tires of the children’s vehicle to deflate them.

The attackers also raked nearby homes with their high-powered rifles to prevent local residents from coming out to help the children.

The wailing victims were then hauled into one of the kidnappers’ vehicles, leaving their driver and nanny behind.

The young Julio Carlos Tomas is a kindergarten pupil at the Xavier School while Cristina is a Grade 4 student at the Immaculate Concepcion Academy, both in San Juan.

The Ledesmas’ family driver, Randy Barcelona, 28, was reportedly wounded by glass shards from a smashed window of the Ford van, while the nanny, identified as Jennyln Tesado, 25, was unhurt.

Barcelona and Tesado were temporarily held by the police for tactical interrogation.

Barcelona, who has been with the Ledesmas for only about a month, told police that the gunmen accosted him and at gunpoint, demanded for the ignition key.

When he refused to obey, the attackers fired at the tires and smashed the window on the driver’s side with the butt of an Armalite rifle.

"Nang marinig ko ang sunod-sunod na putok, saka ko na-realize na masama ang pakay nila, kaya’t sumigaw ako sa dalawang bata at sa katulong na dumapa (When I heard the gunshots, I realized they were up to something bad so I shouted to the children and the nanny to lie face down)," Barcelona said.

With a gun still pointed at his face, Barcelona said he reluctantly surrendered the ignition key to one of the kidnappers.

For her part, Tesado said the gunmen ordered her out of the van. She said she hid behind the vehicle as the suspects gathered the children and transferred them to the Starex van.

Tesado said she later dashed through an open gate and sought refuge inside the house.

Initial police investigation showed that the kidnappers’ Hilander fled towards Wilson street while the Starex drove down Burgos street.

Subsequent verification also showed that license plate WDC 549 belonged to a 1998 model, four-door Nissan Sentra owned by a certain Antonio Daza of 47 18th Avenue Murphy, Quezon City, indicating it was stolen and used by the kidnappers to mislead investigators. - With a report from Sheila Crisostomo