Kidnappers free 7 Tsinoy school children

MANILA, Philippines - A criminal gang released last Sunday night eight kidnap victims, including seven school children, three days after they were snatched in Valenzuela City.

The victims were kidnapped at around 6:30 a.m. last Thursday in Valenzuela. The incident was the fifth kidnap-for-ransom case since President Aquino assumed office last June 30.

The Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER), the unit tasked to handle kidnap-for-ransom cases, refused to give any information on the case, including the identities of the victims. The STAR confirmed that they were Chinese-Filipinos or Tsinoys.

The police also refused to confirm if ransom was paid before the victims were released.

Police authorities and a crime watchdog group have warned the public of rising cases of criminal activities, particularly kidnapping, from September to December in preparation for the Christmas holidays.

The STAR gathered that the eight victims included the father of three of the children, and four of their cousins.

The father was about to drive the children to their respective schools in Caloocan City and Quezon City, when unidentified armed men stopped the van of the victims near their home.

Several tricycle drivers witnessed the kidnappin that occurred near the tricycle terminal.

There was no information on where the kidnappers took the victims.

PACER chief Senior Superintendent Isagani Nerez refused to comment on the investigation.

“There were two kidnapping incidents recorded over the weekend,” Nerez said, but refused to give details.

He instead pointed out that the police are trying to educate possible kidnap victims.

“Never, never quarrel with your neighbors since in some cases neighbors and co-workers act as tipsters. You assign a security officer to the family, you secure your home, make an evasive habit that will not be detected by kidnappers, don’t show your affluence, you might become an instant target,” said Nerez.

Nerez said records in the past showed that kidnap-for-ransom incidents increase from September to December.

“Yes, that is a common apprehension (kidnapping cases increase during ‘ber’ months) and in fact we really record a rise in kidnapping for ransom incident as we approach Christmas season,” Nerez noted.

“We really have to be more vigilant, we need to be more proactive in our activities to deter the occurrence of kidnapping incidents because of the fact that the crime is always increasing from September to December,” he pointed out.

Nerez said the Philippine National Police (PNP) and PACER could not succeed in its campaign against kidnappers if the community will not support the government.

“We want to agitate community awareness and we want to ask for community support in our drive against kidnapping,” said Nerez.

Nerez clarified that kidnap-for-ransom cases decreased this year compared to 2009.

Teresita Ang-See, president of the Movement for the Restoration of Peace and Order (MRPO), said crimes are likely to increase as the Christmas season nears.

She called on PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo to adopt measures that would prevent criminals from carrying out their illegal activities, particularly kidnapping.

Ang-See said the new government under President Aquino and the new PNP chief could be another factor why some criminal groups are committing crimes.

“These criminals could be testing the resolve of the new government, the new president and the new PNP chief in addressing the problem on kidnappings,” Ang-See noted.