13 kidnappers get death

Thirteen people were sentenced to death by a Parañaque City regional trial court (RTC) judge for the kidnap-for-ransom of a businessman in Parañaque City three years ago.

Convicted of kidnapping-for-ransom by Judge Zosimo Escano of RTC branch 259 were Federito Nuevo Cave, 39; his cousin Gerrydel, 32; his older brother Ernesto, 45; Mamerto Obtenalla, 35; his brother Eddie, 28; Generoso Nuevo, 42; Sanny Castante, 26; James Bond Bucala, 27; Richard Bucala Ordonez, 26; Elmer Garcia, 36; Amadeo Prado, 39; Freddie Corpuz Colobong, 32; and his wife Lolita Prado-Colobong, 40.

Escano, in convicting the accused, ruled that the account of their victim, businessman Joseph Hodreal, 45, of San Carlos Street, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, of his abduction and subsequent rescue by the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission was "clear, credible and straightforward."

Court records showed that at around 10:30 a.m. of Oct. 8, 1998, Hodreal was on board his Mercedes Benz sedan with his driver, Danny Anam, driving along the South Superhighway towards Makati from his Alabang home, when their path was blocked by a white Mitsubishi Galant.

Hodreal said five men, whom he identified as Castante, James Bond Bucala, Amado Bucala, Ordonez, and Gerrydale, alighted from the car and forcibly boarded his, and Castante took over the wheel from Anam.

Taken from him were his credit cards, his Rolex watch worth P800,000, his gold necklace worth P50,000, a Parker pen worth P10,000, a mini-computer worth P15,000 and a turbo broiler worth P30,000.

Hodreal said that after they noticed that he was staring at their faces, he was blindfolded and handcuffed by his captors.

Hodreal said that the drive to where he was finally taken took several hours during which he was told by his captors that he was being held and that they would be demanding a P35 million ransom.

His more than two weeks ordeal ended at around 10 a.m. of Oct. 24 when he saw armed men wearing black uniforms barge into the house and he realized that he and Anam were being rescued.

The armed men were PACC men conducting operations against the kidnap-for ransom (KFR) group to whom they were led by Raymond Rivera, a former victim.

In court hearings, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force-Luzon chief, Senior Superintendent Cezar Mancao, testified that his men were led to the Cave KFR gang lair by Rivera.

It was learned that the group’s safehouses were two bungalows at Kansas and California streets in Villasol subdivision, Angeles City, Pampanga.

Also rescued in the PACC raid on the safehouses were Allan Go and George Go.

The 13 accused, mostly farmers and residents of Bani, Pangasinan, all denied the charges, saying they were merely framed up by the PACC.

Their denials, however, were dismissed by Escano.

Escano also convicted Ordonez, Gerrydel Cave, Castante, and James Bond Bucala of robbery for taking Hodrel’s valuables when they abducted him.

One other member of the group, Armando Bucala, remains at large.