43 kidnappings reported in Luzon, Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines - At least 43 kidnappings were recorded in Luzon and Mindanao this year, the Philippine National Police-Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG) reported yesterday.

AKG chief Senior Superintendent Rene Aspera said not a single case was recorded in the Visayas from January up to the present.

“Of the 43 cases, 19 remain under investigation while the cases in Mindanao are being handled by the Armed Forces of the Philippines since 95 percent of the cases were perpetrated by the Abu Sayyaf group and are considered (acts of) terrorism,” he said.

The AKG official said 66 leaders and members of the kidnap groups were arrested in a series of operations. One of them was kidnap gang leader Tyrone dela Cruz, an escaped convict who was recaptured in Alburquerque, Bohol.

Aspera said Dela Cruz’s partner, Jean Loise Bitoy, was also arrested for allegedly helping Dela Cruz escape from the Davao Prison and Penal Farm last year.

He said Dela Cruz was reported to have served as a leader of Lico kidnap group, a sub-group of the Alferez gang that operates in Metro Manila and nearby provinces and also in Mindanao.

Dela Cruz was also linked to at least 10 robberies in Quezon City, Taguig, Cavite and other areas in Metro Manila.

Meanwhile, the anti-crime watchdog Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order (MRPO) expressed apprehension yesterday that some persons may resort to kidnapping since times have become hard after a series of typhoons hit the country and there is pressure to earn money to celebrate the holidays.

“We are in the ‘ber’ months and this is a reason that we are worried. There were (Typhoons) Ondoy, Yolanda, and Glenda, which hit Visayas and most cases in the past kidnappers originated from the area. We are very apprehensive, times are very hard,” said MRPO founder Teresita Ang See.

Ang See; MRPO president Ka Kuen Chua; Walter Sy, a brother of slain kidnap victim Betty Chua-Sy; Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Tom Villarin and Aspera held a briefing on the status of kidnappings in the country. 

Ang See called on the AKG to continue hunting down kidnappers and for victims to help arrest those who held them captive.