COTABATO CITY – Kidnappers have asked for a P10 million ransom in exchange for a Filipino-Hispanic seaside resort owner they kidnapped in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Shariff Kabunsuan five days ago.
Inspector Dante Mama, chief of Datu Odin Sinsuat municipal police, said they have been receiving his persistent intelligence feedback purporting that the kidnappers of Jesus “Boyeh” Martinez, who is in his early 50s, have asked for a P10 million ransom.
“The kidnappers have already established contact with the victim’s family,” Mama said.
Martinez, who comes from a pioneer clan in Cotabato City, operates the El-Bimbo Beach Resort at their seaside coconut plantation in Kusiong, a remote area in Datu Odin Sinsuat.
Mama said while a ransom demand had been raised, police investigators are still looking at all other possible angles, including an “inside job theory and family feud” as likely motives for the abduction of Martinez.
Martinez was riding a motorcycle on his way home to Cotabato City, where he resides, from his resort when gunmen flagged him down and spirited him away.
– John Unson