EDITORIAL - File a complaint

This is one dastardly act: a nephew of a fund-raiser of Fernando Poe Jr. is kidnapped by three men and made to swallow the opposition candidate’s campaign poster, washed down with brake fluid. He is also forced to drive to Lipa City in Batangas where he is made to withdraw P20,000 from an automated teller machine.

It’s reprehensible, especially if it’s true. But we will never separate fact from fiction unless a proper investigation is conducted. And this is unlikely since the purported victim, Richard Rivera, 35, has refused to file a formal complaint. Supporters of Poe claim they do not expect a fair investigation under this administration. That is implying that the administration had a hand in the alleged abduction. The suspicion of the Poe camp is understandable. But what if the perpetrators were working for another group bent on creating trouble for both Poe and his rival President Arroyo?

We won’t know unless a formal complaint is filed. Already Rivera’s story is showing holes: police said there is no record of his alleged treatment at the Asian Hospital in Muntinlupa City. Maybe Rivera, a son-in-law of Poe supporter Carmelo Santiago, was still dizzy from the brake fluid when he related his story. It’s enough of a miracle that the brake fluid did not kill him quickly. Is brake fluid a slow-acting poison? He passed out, Rivera claimed; his abductors were still around when he regained consciousness, and gave him P100 to return home. That is a surprising act of kindness from people who make you swallow campaign posters and brake fluid.

Rivera said he managed to take a bus from Lipa to Muntinlupa. He made a phone call to his wife before he started frothing at the mouth – a classic symptom of poisoning – and he finally brought himself to the Asian Hospital. Later he was reportedly transferred to the Makati Medical Center for treatment of a burned throat and stomach.

It’s a terrifying tale – if it is true. Otherwise it reads like a badly written movie script. Any camp can cry kidnapping or torture in this political season, then leave the accusations hanging, smearing rival candidates. Filipinos want to know the truth so the perpetrators of this alleged kidnapping can be punished. Either a crime has been committed or a lie has been foisted on the nation. Let the truth come out.