Senator Chiz Escudero. INQUIRER file photo
MANILA, Philippines – Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Tuesday expressed alarm over the alleged growing number of unreported kidnappings in the country, forcing some students from going to school for at least two weeks.
Escudero said he himself has been getting such reports from friends who knew some victims of kidnapping.
“Ang dami kong kaibigan na nag-aaral sa iba’t ibang exclusive schools na iyun ang nirereklamo. Ang dami daw nilang mga kilala na diumanoy kinidnap yung kanilang anak, na diumanoy hiningan ng ganito,” he said.
(I have a lot of friends who are complaining about it. They said they knew many people whose kids had been kidnapped and had been asked to pay ransoms.)
“In fact may ilan pa na hindi pinapasok ang kanilang mga anak for the next two to three weeks, isang bagay na kelangang tingnan nang malalim at masusi ng Philippine National Police. Kung hindi totoo, well and good pero paano kung totoo at hindi lang nire-report sa kanila?’
(In fact, there are even some parents who decided not to send their kids to school for the next two to three weeks, something that the Philippine National Police should look into it. If it’s not true, then well and good but what if it’s true and these were not just reported to them?)
The senator said he also received reports of more kidnappings involving Chinese-Filipinos but these were not also reported to authorities supposedly because the ransom only involved about P500,000 to P5 million.
Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, said he would raise the issue when the Department of the Interior and Local Government headed by Secretary Manuel Roxas II faces the Senate to defend its budget proposal for 2015.
“Siguro panahon na para tingnan at beripikahin ang mga insidenteng yan at tingnan kung ano ang magagawa nila para mapigilan ito,” Escudero further said.
(Maybe it’s time to look into this and verify these incidents and find out what they can do to prevent it. )
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