3 abducted at UP campus

Three persons, including a scion of the owner of Uratex Foam Company, were abducted by armed men from the University of the Philippines (UP) campus in Diliman, Quezon City yesterday morning.

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) director Chief Superintendent Nestorio Gualberto ordered his men to track down the abductors of Mary Cheng Ragasa, Dionisio Morca and a certain Mang Val, the driver-bodyguard of the victims.

Ragasa is said to be a grand daughter of Robert Cheng, owner of Uratex, a company which manufactures mattresses and foam materials.

The victims were aboard a maroon Mercedes Benz (TMP-898), when their path was suddenly blocked by the suspects at 8 a.m. near Malcom Hall of the UP College of Law.

Witnesses said the suspects were armed with M-16 rifles. Some students noted that the suspects had been waiting inside a white Mitsubishi Adventure van and a blue Toyota Corolla.

Three of the suspects clad in police uniforms forced the victims into the van, leaving the victims’ car behind.

Rolando Zuleta of the UP Police said he has informed officials of the Central Police District and the national headquarters about the incident. Under present arrangements, the Philippine National Police cannot step into cases which happen on campus unless permitted by the UP administration.

Police officials have complained that the agreement between the Department of the Interior and Local Government and UP has caused undue delay in the response of local police to crimes committed on campus. The UP maintains its own security force to guard the "gateless" 21-hectare Diliman campus in Quezon City.