2 teens foil kidnap tries in Las Piñas, Bacoor

MANILA, Philippines — Two teenagers fended off attempts by men to abduct them in Las Piñas City and Bacoor City, Cavite last week.

The two incidents were caught on videos.

In Las Piñas, a 15-year-old girl was walking along Marcos Alvarez Avenue in Barangay Talon Singko at around 9 p.m. on May 25 when a man standing by the open door of a vehicle tried to abduct her.

Brig. Gen. Jimili Macaraeg, Southern Police District (SPD) director, said the suspect, Leonard Alfaro, 33, grabbed the victim and tried to force her to get inside the vehicle.

The girl, however, stood her ground and screamed, alerting motorcycle riders who approached them.

The suspect escaped but was collared in a follow-up operation. A .357-caliber handgun and a hand grenade were seized from him.

Alfaro is being held on charges of illegal possession of a firearm and an explosive and violation of the election gun ban.

Meanwhile, a 19-year-old female escaped being abducted by three men in Bacoor City on May 23.

The female told police she was walking along a road in Barangay Bayanan when a Toyota Wigo hatchback stopped beside her.

One of the suspects alighted from the vehicle and approached her and called out, “Ate, ate.” Frightened, the victim ran away while the suspects sped off towards Molino Road.

The Bacoor police have coordinated with their counterparts in Las Piñas to determine whether the two incidents are related.