7 policemen face kidnap charges

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force yesterday filed a kidnap-for-ransom case against seven police officers of the Metro Manila Drug Enforcement Group and two civilians for the alleged abduction of three wealthy Chinese in Quezon City last year.

Charged in the sala of Quezon City Judge Monina Zeñarosa were SPO3 Danilo Anselmo; SPO2 Edgardo Lupac; SPOs1 Wilfredo Lagman, and Virgilio Martinez, POs3 Solomon Marcial, and Artemio Santillan Jr.; PO2 Ronaldo Isidro and civilians Cecilio Flores and Genie Suarez.

Deputy Ombudsman for Military Affairs Orlando Casimiro approved the filing of the case after prosecutors from the Department of Justice found probable cause that the respondents conspired with one another in kidnapping businessman Charlie Co, his cousin Andy Co and brother-in-law Michael Zhu.

Lupac and Santillan were also charged with robbery for allegedly taking the wallet and Swiss Army watch of Zhu and the P23,000 cash of Co. Prosecutors recommended no bail for the respondents in the kidnapping for ransom case, which is punishable by death.

State prosecutors Robert Lao and Menrado Corpuz said the victims themselves positively identified the police officers and their two alleged civilian cohorts as the ones who participated in the abduction, which happened last Sept. 13 along West Avenue, at around 2:30 p.m.

The victims' testimonies were corroborated by other witnesses who saw the kidnapping. In a resolution submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman, the prosecutors said the kidnap gang brought their victims to Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, where they later asked for a ransom of $60,000 and P1.9 million from Charlie Co's wife Alicia.

When Co's wife went to the safehouse where they detained the victims to negotiate for their release, she brought along a female companion. Unknown to the officers, Mrs. Co's companion was an undercover agent of the PAOCTF.

The task force shortly after raided the safehouse inside the camp, arresting the suspects and freeing the victims unharmed.

The police officers denied they had kidnapped the victims. Instead, they said they had arrested the three in a drug buy-bust operation known to their group commander. Senior Superintendent Virtus Gil. They said the operation was properly coordinated with the Regional Tactical Operation Center of the National Capital Region Police Office.

The state prosecutors said the accused "only raised defenses which cannot be considered in a preliminary investigation" and "are better left for judicial determination."