Aglipay: Probe sex gang

Metro Manila police director Chief Superintendent Edgar Aglipay ordered yesterday a deeper probe into the alleged kidnaping of 10 young girls by suspected members of a white slavery syndicate in Makati City.

Aglipay admitted investigators are facing a blank wall since no witnesses turned up to corroborate the statement of one of the victims, Alona Divinagracia Bagano, 15, a third year student of the Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino High School in Barangay Comembo.

The Makati City police under Superintendent Jovy Gutierrez is spearheading the investigation.

But Aglipay tasked all the station commanders in Metro Manila to be on the lookout for the van which Bagano said was carrying nine other girls wearing different school uniforms.

Meanwhile, Philippine National Police chief Deputy Director General Panfilo Lacson downplayed reports of an alleged roaming sex gang that allegedly snatch high school girls.

"We have backtracked all our information but it only gets more unclear. We went to the site of the reported abduction but there are no witnesses. We are still checking. However, a check with all schools near the reported abduction site showed no reports of any missing students," Lacson said in a radio interview.

Lacson said that based on their initial investigation, the victim could have just "made-up" the story.

"We have information that she (Bagano) was scolded by her school principal prior to the reported abduction. She could have just made-up the story. But we are still checking it out. However, our verification shows that there is no such abduction," Lacson said.

An earlier police report said Bagano escaped her abductors by jumping out of the van when it slowed down in front of the EDSA Central in Crossing, Mandaluyong City.

The kidnappers did not bother to chase her, apparently to avoid catching the attention of passersby.

According to Aglipay, Bagano gave a sketchy description of the suspects and failed to jot down the plate number of the van. But just the same, he ordered Senior Superintendent Manuel Cabigon, Southern Police District (SPD) director to dig deeper into the case and arrest the suspects.

Aglipay also asked Cabigon to coordinate with school authorities in public and private schools in the vicinity where Bagano was abducted and check whether there are missing students in their institutions.