10 get life for Tsinoy's kidnapping

MANILA, Philippines - Ten members of the notorious Waray-Waray kidnapping gang were meted life imprisonment for the 2005 abduction of a Cavite businesswoman from her farm.

The sentence was handed down by Judge Norberto Quisumbing Jr. of the Regional Trial Court Branch 21 of Imus, Cavite.

The victim, Carrie Choa, together with her witnesses, positively identified Hector Cornista, Alvin Labra, Brian Ho, Rogelio Mendoza, Ricardo Banaay, Romeo Rayga, Joel Dionaldo, Isidro Inosanto, Fredman Bugares, Antonio Balucan and Prime Abales as those involved in her kidnapping.

Four others, Gary Batan, Pedro Sorima, Elorde Bitanghhol and Andy Quintana, remain at large.

On June 28, 2005, the accused conspired, with threats and intimidation through the use of force and firearms, in kidnapping Choa. They demanded P20-million ransom, which Choa’s family haggled down to P515,700.

Rogelio Mendoza, who was later discharged as a state witness, revealed that most of the gang members came from Jaro, Leyte.

According to Mendoza, he first worked for the group as a cook in a safehouse in Angono, Rizal where it kept another victim, Arturo Picones, who was abducted on May 3, 2005 and killed four days later.

Elements of the Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER) arrested the kidnappers in separate operations from leads gathered in two cases.

Cornista and Labra were earlier convicted by the Quezon City RTC for the kidnap-murder of Betty Chua Sy in 2003.

Most of the accused are also being tried at the Binangonan, Rizal RTC for the kidnap-murder of Picones.