How to bungle a kidnapping

Do not be too trusting of men in uniform at once.

This was the lesson that a decent middle-class Filipino family learned on Nov. 9, 2002.

At around 9:30 a.m., four armed men — two dressed in PLDT personnel’s uniform and two in CIDG-Camp Crame police garb — knocked on the door of the Berog residence at Block 5, Lot 23, Santo Nino Village, Tunasan, Muntinlupa City.

The suspects, without the necessary papers and armed with short firearms, told the Berog household that they were searching for loose firearms. The Berog family refused to let them in, but the suspects forced their way and searched all the rooms, throwing things in disarray. They found nothing.

Realizing they could not extort money from the family without the alleged firearms, the four armed men turned their guns to 67-year-old Federico Berog his sons, 26-year-old Dolfran, 19-year-old Fidel, 13-year-old Christopher, and eight-year-old daughter Yumi.

The suspects ordered the Berogs to stay in one room. When the suspects tried to tie the family members’ hands, the Berogs resisted. Instead, the suspects dragged Christopher to their get-away vehicle. In the commotion, the suspects left a vital clue to their identity — a clutch bag.

As soon as the suspects fled, Mang Federico called 117. The incident was quickly relayed to the Muntinlupa police at around 10 p.m.

Led by Senior Supt. Erasto Lim-Sanchez Sr., chief of the Muntinlupa police, a group of operatives arrived at the Berog’s house. Mang Federico directed Lim-Sanchez where the get-away vehicle fled. From the contents of the clutch bag, it was learned that the owner is a certain Filemon Flora.

Not knowing that the matter was already in the hands of police, Flora called up the Berogs’ house and demanded that his bag be returned in exchange for Christopher’s freedom.

Lim-Sanchez pointed out that the suspects did not demand money because their identities were already known.

The time and place were set for the "exchange." Mang Federico was to return the bag at a Shell gasoline station, just in front of the Santo Niño Village gate, at exactly 1:30 p.m.

With ample time to prepare, the police operatives devised the strategy to rescue Christopher and to apprehend the suspects.

Following what was agreed upon earlier in the day, the exchange was made at the gasoline station at 1:30 p.m. But as soon as the boy was freed, the Muntinlupa police subdued Flora and his band of thieves.

Lim-Sanchez pointed out: "We made sure that we secured Mang Federico and Christopher first so that they will not be hit by stray bullets just in case a gunfight ensued. Luckily, what turned out was a rescue operation with no single shot fired, no one was hurt and most importantly, no ransom was given."

First thing in the morning of Nov. 10, charges of kidnapping, serious illegal detention and grave threats were filed against the suspects before the City Prosecutor’s Office of Muntinlupa City.