Vet student snatched in Malabon

A 19-year-old Filipino-Chinese was reported kidnapped yesterday afternoon by at least three unidentified armed men in police uniform in Malabon City.

Malabon police chief, Superintendent Ernesto Fojas, identified the victim as Nino Lorenzo Pe-Tubiano, of Project 4, Quezon City, a sophomore Veterinary Medicine student of the Gregorio Araneta University Foundation in Barangay Potrero, Malabon.

The victim reportedly comes from a wealthy family. Fojas said police gathered that Tubiano’s parents own a company called Progressive Poultry Supply.

PO2 Redentor Mantala of the Malabon City police said the incident happened at around 12:45 p.m. while the victim was on his way home from school.

Investigation showed that Tubiano was driving his maroon Honda Civic (UHD-439) along Bagong Lote Street corner Circumferential Road, Malabon when his path was blocked by a gray Toyota Corolla without license plates and a Mitsubishi Lancer (BBY-851).

The suspects, one of whom was armed with a caliber .45 pistol who was about 5’9" tall, alighted from the vehicle and told Tubiano that they were serving a warrant of arrest issued for him.

The victim, however, did not believe them and refused to get out of his car. Witnesses told police that a scuffle ensued and the suspects forced Tubiano out of his car. The victim reportedly tried to fight it out but was overpowered by the suspects.

Fojas said the suspects have yet to demand ransom money from the victim’s family.

Meanwhile, a man reportedly high on drugs took a three-year-old boy hostage yesterday afternoon in Caloocan City.

Superintendent Dionicio Borromeo, Caloocan City Police Station Investigation and Intelligence Division (SIID) chief, identified the suspect as Ramil Batungbakal, 23, jobless, of Block 51, Sapsap Alley, Caloocan, a fugitive from Boys’ Town in San Mateo, Rizal.

Batungbakal’s hostage, Michael Maunio, also of Sapsap Alley, was unharmed.

The responding police team composed of SPO2 Severino Santos, PO1s Ronald Iral and Erwin Carandang, were led by Borromeo and Inspector Marcelino Mariano.

According to Iral, the incident happened at around 3:20 p.m.

Batungbakal was attending a wake at a relative’s house when he got paranoid and suddenly took Maunio, a distant relative, hostage. He grabbed a 14-inch long ice pick and poked it at the boy.

The suspect, who admitted taking shabu a couple of days ago, said the complainants in his homicide case threatened to kill him.

The boy’s terrified relatives immediately called Carandang, a police neighbor who was then off-duty. Carandang told The STAR that he tried to distract Batungbakal by talking to him. He eventually managed to wrestle the weapon away from the suspect.