Senior Superintendent Freddie Panen, Rizal police director, and his intelligence chief, Senior Superintendent Joel Garcia, however, refused to give details of the case, citing ongoing follow-up operations to arrest Ong’s other kidnappers, who had demanded P20-million ransom for her safe release.
Minutes after getting word of the abduction, Panen ordered that checkpoints be set up in strategic points in Rizal. The kidnappers’ getaway vehicle was eventually intercepted at a checkpoint near the Valley Golf and Country Club in Antipolo City.
However, instead of giving themselves up, the kidnappers opened fire, wounding a number of policemen. A running gunbattle ensued until some of the suspects were cornered, reports said.