De Lima confirms reports on kidnapping inside national penitentiary

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—The abduction of murder convict Rolito Go is not an isolated case, Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said, adding there may have been a kidnapping syndicate operating around the New Bilibid Prison area.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, De Lima said there were reported kidnapping and ‘hulidap’ incidents but the victims opted not to file the report. ‘Hulidap’ is a local colloquial term combining the words ‘huli’ (catch, trap) and hold up.

“They refuse to cooperate for some reasons. I believe there are syndicates operating within the area, they have a spotter who identifies who should be the next victim. The previous incidents involved the wives or loved ones of the inmates,” De Lima said.

“We would want to know how many exactly incidents of ‘hulidap’ has happened,” she added.

De Lima said she is planning to form a dedicated team of members of the National Bureau of Investigation to dig deeper into the hulidap/kidnapping phenomenon.

De Lima is currently the officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Corrections after Gaudencio Pangilinan took a leave of absence following the alleged abduction of convicted murderer Rolito Go last week.