GMA to rascals: Your days are numbered

Amid a spate of kidnappings over the past two weeks, President Arroyo again told criminal syndicates, especially kidnapping gangs involving "rascals in uniform," that their days are numbered.

The President issued the latest warning as she lauded anew Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. for his campaign in neutralizing kidnapping syndicates in the country.

During her weekly message aired over government-owned Radyo ng Bayan, the President praised Ebdane for neutralizing the Patinio-Radam gang, the fifth of 21 kidnapping syndicates in the PNP’s "order of battle."

The Patinio-Radam gang kidnapped Cavite factory owner Carl Anthony Penano at the boundary of Carmona and Silang towns while he was on his way home on Sept. 18.

While Penano’s family paid a P2-million ransom, police swooped down on the gang’s hideout in General Trias, also in Cavite, and killed gang leaders Rodolfo Patinio and Eugene Radam and their cohorts in a shootout.

"This was the fifth of the 21 kidnap-for-ransom groups that have been neutralized by our brave policemen," the President said in Filipino.

"The hostage was rescued and the ransom money was even recovered," Mrs. Arroyo said.

"This serves as a warning to the remaining kidnapping groups, your days are numbered," she added.

"We also continue with our steps to capture those who committed corruption or the rascals in the police and military and other agencies of government," she said, noting that her anti-crime drive is a vital part of her efforts to improve the economy.

"Solving our peace and order problems and our problems in graft and corruption is as important as improving the economy. Peace and development and the rule of law always come together," she said.

"You can rest assured we in government continue to have determination to cleanse out society against all forms of crimes while we also (will not) let up in running after terrorists who disturb our peaceful way of life," she added.

But the President did not comment on the case of kidnapped La Union businesswoman Grace So and that of the Tai twins, children of a factory owner who were snatched in Parañaque City on their way to school on Thursday.

Police, however, maintain that the number of kidnappings in the country has gone done compared to last year.

PNP spokesman Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil said that from January to Sept. 19, there were only 48 kidnapping incidents, involving 66 victims, as compared to 76 incidents reported last year.

Although half of the 48 incidents have already been solved, kidnappers raised a total of P40.77 million in ransom, Bataoil said.

Out of the 66 victims, three were killed by their abductors, 37 were released and 16 were rescued, including three Koreans, two Japanese, two Indians and one American.

To date, police statistics also showed that the police is handling two ongoing kidnapping cases, involving five kidnapping victims, Bataoil said, apparently referring to So and the four university professors who were kidnapped in Marawi City last week.

"Our records are based on facts. I don’t know if our statistics tally with that of anti-crime groups," Bataoil said. — Marichu Villanueva