Cotabato City Tsinoys hit lack of protection from kidnap gangs

COTABATO CITY, Philippines  – The city’s Filipino-Chinese community lamented what it described as “lack of protection” it is getting from the police and military against kidnapping syndicates.

Chua Yu Beng, president of the Cotabato City Chinese Chamber of Commerce, said they are worried about threats from these gangs following two kidnappings in just a span of two months.

“The general feeling is that we don’t have protection from authorities,” Chua said.

Chua said many Filipino-Chinese traders support the deployment here of a Marine contingent to help the Army’s anti-crime Task Force Tugis and the local police fight kidnappers.

These syndicates are led by notorious Moro commanders taking refuge in marshy areas at the boundary of Maguindanao and North Cotabato.

Last Friday, kidnappers freed somewhere in the first district of Maguindanao businesswoman Conchita Tan, 73, who was seized by heavily armed men near her residence here a week ago.

Tan’s family was said to have paid a hefty ransom for her release.

Tan’s abduction came less than two months after armed men clad in Army uniforms snatched local trader Nelson Tan and held him captive for three days at the border of Pigkawayan, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao.

More than 70 Filipino-Chinese traders here and in surrounding towns in North Cotabato and Maguindanao have been kidnapped since the early 1990s.

The police only have more than 200 law enforcers guarding the city’s 37 barangays.

City Mayor Japal Guiani Jr. said he would initiate a dialogue with the business sector to come up with measures to prevent more kidnappings.