7 get life for Tsinoy's kidnap

MANILA, Philippines - A Quezon City court sentenced seven men to life imprisonment for kidnapping a Filipino-Chinese woman in 2003.

John Galicia, Roger Demetilla, Leopoldo Sariego, Carlito Ugat Jr., Eliseo Villarino, Roger Chiva and Napoleon Portugal were convicted for kidnapping Venilda Ho.

Sariego is an ex-soldier while Ugat is a retired policeman.

Their accomplice, Amelito Billiones, Ho’s former driver, was sentenced to 10 to 17 years behind bars.

In a 44-page decision, Judge Edgar Dalmacio Santos of the Regional Trial Court Branch 222 in Quezon City also ordered all eight men to pay Ho moral damages, with the principals paying P175,000 and Billiones liable for P25,000.

Court records showed Ho was kidnapped on the night of May 8, 2003 along Araneta Avenue in Quezon City while in a Mitsubishi L-300 van driven by Billiones.

She was brought to a house in Las Piñas City and transferred to another house in East Kamias, Quezon City, where she was held captive until she was rescued by police officers on May 22, 2003.

Her captors demanded from Ho’s husband, William, P50 million as ransom, but following negotiations, the husband delivered on May 14, 2003 P224,500 in Muntinlupa City. However, Ho’s kidnappers did not release her and demanded more money.

It was at this point that William sought police assistance and on May 22, 2003, agents of the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response – then headed by Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina – rescued Ho and arrested Billiones, Demetilla and Sariego. The others were nabbed in follow-up operations.

The Ho couple expressed relief over the court’s decision and urged other kidnap victims to cooperate fully with the police.

Teresita Ang-See of the Movement for the Restoration of Peace and Order said the case was resolved because of the coordination between the victim’s family and the police.