Tiu hopeful she will get justice for kidnap ordeal

Despite the setbacks, kidnap victim Jackie Tiu remains hopeful she would attain justice at the end of the day.

"Justice has been so elusive and evasive. It has proven to be a long and tedious battle. But I am undaunted. I will persevere till I get my justice," Tiu said.

Apart from support of her family and friends, Tiu has found more courage from people who relentlessly supported her quest for justice, citing the help of anti-crime crusader Teresita Ang-See of the Citizens’ Action against Crime and Corruption and government agencies like the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

Ang-See has been providing moral support to Tiu by attending all the hearings of the kidnap case in San Fernando City in La Union while the NBI has taken steps to help track down Zhang Du, one of the kidnappers who was deported under mysterious circumstances by some Bureau of Immigration (BI) officials.

Tiu confessed that the pain and traumatic memory of her ordeal with seven Chinese kidnappers some four years ago have been revived by setbacks in her case, including Zhang’s flight and a recent order of the Supreme Court allowing her petition to a transfer of venue to Manila regional trial court.

"The trauma and the stigma of the crime which was perpetrated against me continue to haunt me each day. The agony of my kidnapping was aggravated many times over by certain events," Tiu stressed.

She lamented that she "cannot even find the words to express the depth of my pain for it is a pain which I shall live with for the rest of my life. The torment of an ordeal such as this does not stop when a victim is back with his/her family. I am a Filipina, kidnapped by foreigners in my own country. I am a citizen fighting back to right a huge wrong."

Tiu claimed she is haunted by the fear and pain she felt in the company of her kidnappers.

She pointed to the delays in the resolution of the case and the illegal deportation of Zhang, which she described as "one of the most painful" tests in her quest for justice.

"I suffered in the hands of my kidnappers which no amount of money can ever quantify. My quest for justice was belittled by certain officials in the Bureau of Immigration when they gave undue liberty to Zhang Du. If a Filipina like me cannot get justice in my own country, then where can I get justice?" she asked.

Tiu is seeking justice for Zhang’s illegal deportation and called for the prosecution of the immigration officials responsible for the escape.

She maintained that Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez Jr. or his officer-in-charge should be held liable to some extent for their "responsibility and accountability."

Fernandez claimed he could not be held liable since he was attending the International Police conference in France when Zhang was spirited out. He said the supervision of the bureau was left to Associate Commissioner Teodoro Delarmente.

Delarmente likewise denied responsibility on the issue and said he had "no personal knowledge or official information that Zhang Du was actually deported without proper authority since I have not received any report before or after his deportation."

But Tiu stressed that the investigation should not end with mere denial because the question on who orchestrated and ordered the deportation of Zhang remains unanswered.

Fernandez earlier ordered the relief of six immigration agents implicated in the irregular deportation of Zhang last May 7.

Last week, the BI has transferred the case to the Ombudsman to determine the extent of administrative and criminal liabilities of the involved officials.

While Tiu lauded the move and expressed confidence that the Ombudsman would handle the case with objectivity, she maintained her demand for transparency in the ongoing investigation of BI on the supposed involvement of its ranking officials in Zhang’s flight.

"I stand by my belief that a crime of this magnitude could not have taken place without the knowledge, involvement, and approval of top officials of the BI.

"Only the Bureau of Immigration has the power to deport. And only top officials of the BI can effect deportations," she stressed.

In pursuing her case, Tiu believes that she is representing the voice of fellow kidnap victims who crave for justice.

"I am but one victim speaking out right now. But my sentiments are the sentiments of all kidnap victims. My pain is their pain. My victory is their victory. We victims have suffered so much already. Our lives will never go back to the way they were before," she said.