Landmark victory
Dennis Roldan. Basketball player, actor, congressman, convicted kidnapper. Last Tuesday, the Pasig City Regional Trial court handed down a verdict of guilty beyond reasonable doubt against Roldan and two of his companions for the February 2005 kidnapping of a then three-year-old Filipino-Chinese boy. A sentence of life imprisonment without parole was immediately handed down, with the court ordering the guilty to be transferred to the New Bilibid Prisons immediately. The case is a celebrated one because of the status of Roldan, a congressman from 1992-95, a professional basketball player with Ginebra, and an actor. What was this guy thinking? Kidnapping?
Needless to say, this is a victory for the victims, and for society. Kidnapping-for-ransom has been a scourge of the country for decades. At risk are known wealthy families, particularly from the Filipino-Chinese community. Roldan's conviction was especially lauded by the Movement for the Restoration of Peace and Order, calling it a landmark victory. Most kidnapping cases do not even reach the news, with families preferring to keep everything quiet and just negotiate with the criminals. The fear of the criminals getting back at them should they notify authorities always hangs above their heads. This only frustrates those doing their best to fight this scourge. According to the MRPO, there have been sixteen kidnapping cases this year alone. How many have actually been reported?
In the Dennis Roldan case, the family decided to press charges and fight back, after their son was rescued from the abductors. Citing Roldan as a powerful person with connections, probably on both sides of the law, the verdict just makes it all the more significant. It gives hope that justice will prevail and eventually make the perpetrators answer for their crimes. The family apparently spent more money pursuing the case than the actual ransom. But in the end, their persistence and courage paid off. It is just a shame that the father of the victim died before he could see those who tormented his son punished.
With this landmark decision, the MRPO is encouraging all those victimized by kidnap-for-ransom syndicates to speak up and fight back. Silence only helps to embolden the syndicates even more. But that's probably easier said than done. What made the family of the victim fight back was the rescue of their son. Some victims are not that fortunate. But there is no argument that keeping quiet does not help anyone. Criminals thrive on fear. They rarely victimize those they know will fight back.
Roldan may have been convicted, but there is still another suspect at large, further proving the guilt of this group. It is hoped that the law will eventually catch up with this Suzette Wang, who is believed to have left the country, along with all the other cowards of different crimes being hounded by the law. There are still numerous criminal cases that are taking too long. We can only hope that they all find justice, soon.
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