Kidnap mastermind falls

Northern Police District (NPD) and Presidential Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER) agents have arrested over the weekend the suspected mastermind in the abduction of a food company heiress in Valenzuela last June.

Suspect Norman Tulabut, alias "Norman Culabot" and "Danilo Tan" and reported leader of the "Culabot Gang," was presented yesterday by police officials to Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco, in a press briefing attended by Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. and NPD director Senior Superintendent Marcelino Franco at Camp Crame, said the Culabot kidnap-for-ransom gang is seventh in the PNP’s list of 21 targeted kidnap syndicates.

Tulabut, 55, of 34 Constantino Drive, Marulas, Valenzuela City, was arrested at around 6:25 a.m. last Jan. 4 by virtue of a warrant issued by Valenzuela City Regional Trial Court Branch 171 Judge Maria Nena Santos.

The suspect is tagged as the mastermind behind the kidnapping of Dr. Charmaine Ong in Marulas, Valenzuela City. She is the only daughter of the owners of food processing company CDO.

Senior Superintendent Raul Gonzales, NPD director for operations, said Tulabut was arrested as a result of more than a month of surveillance operations. His cohorts are being hunted down.

Three armed men snatched Ong at around 7:15 p.m. last June 13 as she was coming out of her skin clinic at the CDO Building in Valenzuela City. Her driver, Mateo Cahilig, tried to put up a fight but was shot by the suspects. Though seriously wounded, the driver survived.

At noon, the following day, police fetched Ong unharmed at a Catholic church in Pampanga after she reportedly escaped from her abductors. It was not clear how Ong escaped from her kidnappers as she and her family refused any interviews.

Highly placed sources, however, said the parents, Jose Ong and Corazon Dy-Ong allegedly paid P15 million for the victim’s release.

During a confrontation at police headquarters, Ong’s brother positively identified Tulabut as the man who received from him the ransom.

Tulabut bore a bruise over the right eye when presented to media yesterday.

"There was a slight resistance from the suspect when he was arrested," Franco explained.

Meanwhile, Velasco directed the NPD to investigate all possible angles following the arrest of the kidnap boss.

The Metro police chief issued the order after Tulabut claimed he has been a member of Bayan since the 1980s. Velasco said all aspects should be investigated to enable the police to trace the source of funding for KFR operations, not only of the Culabut group, but of other similar syndicates.