‘Kidnap politics’

The Philippines is unnecessarily getting the bad rap as a "kidnap-for-ransom" capital in this part of the world due to supposed continuing kidnapping incidents. But why is it that these latest spate of purported KFR cases victimize mostly tourists from Mainland China? It turns out that most, if not all of these alleged kidnapping incidents were really not KFR cases but Chinese tourists being held here as "hostages" until they or their family and relatives in China pay their gambling debts here.

I gathered that certain unscrupulous travel agencies, in cahoots with big-time syndicates, bring in plane loads of tour groups from Mainland China and flying in directly to play in casino resorts here by taking advantage of our lax visa-upon-entry policy. Upon checking in at the hotel/resort, they are required to hand in their passports purportedly for safekeeping by the travel agency/tour operator before they are brought straight to the casino to burn their money.

As their casino losses pile up and they are unable to pay their debts, these tourists are preyed upon by casino financiers who are members of this syndicate operated by crime lords from Mainland China. With no more money to pay their gambling debts, they are locked up in their hotel rooms where food is brought to them and kept there until they can pay up. They are then told to contact their relatives in China and claim they were kidnapped and might be killed if they do not pay ransom. Not knowing any better, their relatives cough up and remit money pronto to the Philippines to pay the "ransom." But in truth, this is payment for the gambling debts of the supposed kidnapped kin.

Frantic relatives, fearing for the lives of their "kidnapped" loved ones who they knew are spending holidays here, immediately send the money or they themselves come to the Philippines to pay the "ransom" demand. As soon as they get their "kidnapped" loved one, who is released unharmed after payment is made, they all go back immediately to China along with this kidnapping tale.

This modus operandi is nothing new. It just evolved through the years into this newest scheme. The criminal activities of these syndicates from Mainland China first came to light in 2001 in the case of Filipina-Chinese Jackie Tiu who was abducted in La Union by a KFR gang which was busted with the arrest of seven Chinese nationals who came here all the way from Beijing. Almost six years later, Jackie is still fighting for justice in her case. The trial has been transferred here to Manila following the escape from jail by Zhang Du, one of the principal suspects who was able to fly back to Beijing allegedly facilitated by certain corrupt immigration officials.

The most recent case of this modus operandi happened late last year when two Chinese "kidnap" or "hostage" victims managed to escape after being held for over a week in their locked rooms in one of the casino resorts somewhere north of Manila. They later told local police and Chinese Embassy officials here that to their knowledge, they were with two other "kidnap/hostage" victims still being locked in that resort at that time. But when a team composed of police and Embassy officials "raided" the resort, they did not find the two other victims.

Investigations later revealed that the two other victims were released to their respective relatives after they paid several thousand pesos in supposed "ransom" money. Fearing discovery of their scheme with the escape of the first two victims, the alleged "kidnappers" quickly accepted the payment and released the two remaining victims even though the amounts paid were less than the gambling debts that were actually owed to them. All four "victims" immediately flew back to China, without filing any complaint nor did they even bother to report to police authorities these incidents. I was told similar cases like these also happen even in casinos in Metro Manila.

But it is not only Chinese casino players who are their prime targets here. There were also incidents of similar penny ante kidnapping cases. Penny ante because these syndicates do not ask for millions of pesos in ransom payment. A recent incident involved the abduction of a group of eight Chinese tourists who were coming out from a videoke bar in Manila in the wee hours of the morning. Fortunately for this group, the van that they were being forced into could not accommodate all of them. So the kidnappers let four of them go. Of the remaining four victims who were taken, only two of them managed to pay ransom of several thousands of pesos each. But all four victims were released later unharmed by their kidnappers after they got the ransom.

These "imported" syndicates from China can come here easily to do their lucrative but illegal business activities. Gambling addicts from among these tourists are most vulnerable to syndicates plying their crime trade here in partnership with Filipino crooks in and out of the government.

Chinese visitors are easy prey to these syndicates because they are a most vulnerable group. Many of them overstay their 21-day visa and are thus considered undocumented and therefore become illegal aliens. There is also the problem of language barrier as many of them speak only Chinese – only Mandarin or Pu-tong-wah or Fookinese. Once they are victimized, they refuse to cooperate with law enforcement authorities, and hastily take the first flight out of the country. Embassy officials likewise seem to want to avoid any trouble or controversy they usually help facilitate the immediate return to China of these "victims." Thus, this frustrates attempts by Philippine authorities to stop these "KFR" cases, arrest and jail Chinese criminals who prey upon their own countrymen while doing their nefarious activities here.

Adding to these apprehensions of another upsurge in KFR cases is the campaign of candidates in the upcoming May 14 elections. I heard anti-crime watchdog leader, Teresita Ang See being interviewed recently about her concerns that there has been an established trend in the rise of KFR incidence during election years. She noted this during the elections held in 1998, 2001, and in 2004. Ang-See cited the increase in KFR activities appeared to be directly related to "fund-raising" activities, possibly involving politicians and other crime-backed candidates who have links with the underworld. Narco-politics has become passé. We now have what we can call as kidnap politics.

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