With 56 reports of kidnapping incidents in the last 10 days alone, a leader of the House of Representatives urged the Philippine National Police (PNP) to suppress the rash of kidnap-for- ransom (KFR) incidents before they become a bigger menace to Metro Manila’s peace and order situation.
House Minority Leader Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan issued the statement after he facilitated a news conference in the lower chamber wherein Philippine Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (PCCCII) officials appealed for the government’s help against kidnapping syndicates that have been targeting the Filipino-Chinese community.
“We want these kidnapping gangs preying on the Filipino-Chinese community stamped out right away. We do not want their nefarious activities to mutate into a larger threat,” Libanan said.
“This is clearly a law enforcement problem. The only reason these kidnappers are getting bolder is because they have not been apprehended, and they have not been put behind bars,” Libanan said.
PCCCII Secretary-General Bengsum Ko said most of the kidnappings were reported in the cities of Pasay, Parañaque, Makati and Taguig.
During the news conference, Ko read aloud a letter signed by PCCCII President Lugene Ang, claiming that they have received 56 reports of kidnapping incidents in the last 10 days alone, excluding unreported cases.
“Recent disturbing events create a state of fear and uneasiness among the Filipino-Chinese community. This is because of the recent rampant kidnapping cases both in Metro Manila and some parts of Luzon,” Ang said in his letter addressed to Congress and coursed through Libanan.
“These kidnappers are worse than animals. They use torture and intimidation, rape women and send the videos to the victim’s relatives demanding huge sums of money. In some cases, victims were even sold to other kidnapping groups,” Ang revealed.
Ang said the kidnappings “threaten not only the safety of our citizens but also normal business activities.”
He appealed to Congress and law enforcement agencies to “take a more active role and act swiftly to suppress these criminals and eradicate these kidnapping syndicates.”
Ang said, “no bail should be granted” to kidnappers.
“And the truth of the matter is that these kidnappers are foreigners, Chinese for that matter, so we should never allow these foreign criminal syndicates to do whatever they want in our country,” Ang said.
PNP Officer in Charge Lt. Gen. Jose Chiquito Malayo and Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) Undersecretary Agapito Guanlao were also present during the news conference at the House of Representatives late Tuesday.
For his part, Malayo guaranteed Camp Crame’s prompt action on all information that the PCCCII had gathered about kidnapping incidents that were apparently never reported to the police.
Only four kidnapping cases were reported to the police, Malayo said.
