Southern Mindanao police impose news blackout on kidnap case

DAVAO CITY — Senior Superintendent Eduardo Matillano, Southern Mindanao police director, imposed yesterday a news blackout on the kidnapping of three women, one of them a daughter of the owners of Bonifacio Motors.

Ma. Cecilia Bonifacio, 25, and her companions Norma Jayno and Fe Jayno, who were aboard a Toyota RAV4 which the former was driving, were snatched Thursday afternoon at the Sta. Ana wharf here.

Ma. Cecilia’s family owns Bonifacio Motors, which sells imported cars and manufactures local vehicles.

"From now on, we will be strictly imposing a news blackout on the case. I just do not know where the other reporters got their stories. But there will definitely be nothing coming from the authorities (since any information) will jeopardize whatever operations that are going on," Matillano said.

He said the safety of the three kidnap victims is their utmost consideration for imposing the news blackout.

Matillano chided those who spread reports that the "Pentagon" kidnap-for-ransom gang operating in Central Mindanao was behind the abduction.

"There are so many stories coming out which mostly are not true," he said.

The Bonifacios earlier asked Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and the police to keep their hands off the case and let them handle the situation first to ensure the safe release of Ma. Cecilia and her two companions.

Duterte said he respected the family’s decision and that authorities would only stay in the sidelines.

However, military intelligence sources told The STAR the victims are no longer in the city. "They have been brought to the south that is why (the police) in nearby provinces have been alerted," one of the sources said.