Hostage taker surrenders at sight of SWAT

Scared to his wits that he would be beaten up by a mob, a cellphone snatcher took hostage two sisters inside their house in Pasay City yesterday afternoon. But as the tanods of Barangay 44 and Pasay City policemen, with SWAT members in full gear, responded to the scene, suspect Allan Ignacio, 30, gave up peacefully after less than an hour of negotiations.

Sisters Twinkle and Patricia Portes were unharmed.

Initial investigation showed that before the hostage taking, Ignacio, of M. Santos St., snatched the cellphone of Cristy Oquias, 33, while they were on board a Baclaran-bound jeepney. The incident happened at around 2:30 p.m. along Taft Ave. Armed with an eight-inch knife, Ignacio and his cohort fled on foot but barangay tanods, who were painting street signs, immediately responded.

City police chief Senior Supt. Oscar Catalan, who acted as ground commander, said a terrified Ignacio ran into the Portes house at 339-E Lakas ng Bayan St. in Tramo.

"He hid there for fear that the people would beat him up if he was caught," Catalan said in Filipino.

In an interview, Twinkle, 21, said Ignacio was able to enter their house easily as their gate and door were left open while their mother and Barangay 44 Kagawad, Lisa Portes, helped in the street-painting project.

The Portes sisters were alone inside the house when Ignacio, still holding his knife after throwing away Oquias’ cellphone, dashed in and locked the door.