3 held for Selecta abduction

Three possible suspects were held for questioning yesterday in connection with Tuesday’s abduction of an executive of Selecta Feeds, Caloocan police officials said yesterday.

Undergoing tactical interrogation are Felix Avila Jr., a former supervisor at the firm; Romeo Gonzales, foreman of the same company; and Jay de la Cruz, the victim’s driver, whose whereabouts were unknown at the time of the commission of the crime.

Both Avila and Gonzales were allegedly at odds with Danilo Bautista, Selecta Feeds operations manager, who was abducted on Susano Road, Caloocan City. The victim is rumored to be a scion of the Arce clan of the Selecta ice cream fame.

Investigators said the three will be subjected to a lie detector test on Monday at Camp Crame.

At about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, SPO3 Jose Olaer, Police Community Precinct 14 commander, said they received a telephone call from a concerned citizen informing them of an abduction of man aboard a blue Mitsubishi Adventure (WDG 932) by four armed men in Bagumbong Dulo, Barangay 171. The man was later identified as Bautista.

The suspects, armed with handguns and a rifle, forced Bautista inside their red Mitsubishi L-300 van with no license plates and sped off toward Bulacan.

Bautista’s helper-driver, Joemel Esperga, 24, who was with the victim, was hit in the head with the butt of a handgun and left behind almost unconscious inside their vehicle.

Also questioned to shed light on the incident were Bautista’s mother, Marcelina Bautista de la Cruz; stepfather Rogelio de la Cruz; the victim’s former co-supervisors Cristina Bernardino-Ducusin and Zeny Perido Olgado; and helpers Richard Arcilla and Esperga.

Senior Superintendent Benjardi Mantele, city police chief, said revenge could have been the motive for the abduction. Initial investigation showed the suspects wanted Bautista out for allegedly getting all the commissions they had previously earned from transactions with clients of the company.

"Personal grudge or a dispute over commissions could have driven them to kidnap Bautista," Superintendent Dionicio Borromeo, police intelligence chief, said.

Borromeo also hinted that the incident was not the handwork of an organized kidnap-for-ransom group, but killers hired by the suspects.

Among the evidence already in the hands of the police was a letter contained in a box sent to Bautista in October together with a live Armalite bullet. The unsigned letter accused Bautista of blocking all sources of income of the sender in the feeds company.

The police are also looking into the "love" angle as a motive. Sources claimed the victim had six wives, two at Selecta, and the others in Bulacan. – With Pete Laude