The circumstances of the release indicate two things. First, although the abduction was perpetrated brazenly on a busy street during the morning rush hour in San Juan, police lost track of the kidnappers. Second, there is only one reason kidnappers quietly release their victims: money has changed hands. This suspicion was on everyones mind yesterday as details of the release became known.
To be fair to our cops, who did rescue recently a five-year-old kidnap victim from a prominent clan, Im not ruling out a third possibility that this is all part of a police strategy to get the suspects once the victims are released. (By getting the suspects I mean they can either be apprehended or permanently neutralized, like the Pentagon Gangs Faisal Marohombsar.) Every kidnapper worth his salt knows the greatest danger for him could come after he has released his victim.
This possibility is reinforced by Ledesmas statement crediting "a secret but tried and tested" government formula for his childrens release an indication that he did coordinate with authorities.
Malacañang explained that this formula was used in solving the kidnapping of Jackie Rowena Tiu last year. Tius family, I must clarify, refused to cooperate with the police and paid a P10-million ransom for her release. The payoff was made outside the Manila Hotel, a stones throw from a police outpost. Unknown to Jackies relatives, their movements were being monitored by the police. After Jackies release, the cops pounced on the kidnappers at the Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel and recovered all the ransom.
If this is whats happening in the Ledesma case, and ransom was indeed paid, the congressman can only pray that the money will also be recovered once the culprits are caught. When dealing with money recovered from thugs, some cops can be more efficient than tax collectors in deducting "operational expenses." Sometimes they get greedy and keep everything for themselves.
Reports yesterday said there was even a dry run over the weekend for the purported payoff, with the kidnappers taking Ledesma on a wild goose chase to make sure he was not being tailed by the police. The amount mentioned during the dry run was said to be P5 million. It may be safe to speculate that the final amount was larger.
Thats a lot of money for four days work. Last week kidnappers also made P1.25 million from the abduction of a Filipino-American in General Santos City. The kidnappers werent caught either.
When theres so much money to be made, how do you discourage kidnapping? The icon of a successful kidnapper, Ghalib Andang, a.k.a. Commander Robot of Abu Sayyaf notoriety, has never been caught after his band of hooligans pocketed at least $20 million from a kidnapping spree in 2000. Now he is cheekily sending out surrender feelers, wanting to start a new life. If he pays the right people the right amount, I have no doubt that he would one day enjoy peaceful retirement in his dream orchard.
There are news leaks that "destabilizers" were behind the recent sensational kidnappings. Well, if they were, it doesnt change the fact that cops have to do their job, which is to apprehend suspects and solve kidnapping cases. Its not enough to see kidnap victims walking to freedom. The culprits should be caught and any ransom recovered (without kotong). Then the culprits should be punished severely.
This is the only way of showing the world that the administration means business in its campaign against criminality, that we are truly on our way to becoming a strong Republic.
Its like stolen vehicles that are used for crimes. Once the vehicles are recovered by police, the legitimate owners often end up being deprived of their vehicles for months or even years ostensibly because the vehicles must remain impounded as evidence. Often the owners see their vehicles being used by the police.
Rich victims sometimes give up trying to recover their vehicles, writing off their cars or SUVs as donations to the police. But what of less-moneyed victims?
But whether a lawmaker or a private citizen, and whether or not one chooses to flaunt his wealth, no one must live in fear of being kidnapped in this country. The release of Ledesmas children has done nothing to allay that fear.
Of course the taray queen often looks frosty, but that night perhaps it also had something to do with the fact that the concert was staged two days after she declared that the Philippines was not committed to a US war on Iraq.
Would Washingtons displeasure have anything to do with the Presidents flip-flopping over Desert Storm II?