Kidnap victim recounts ‘horrible’ ordeal at Senate hearing
MANILA, Philippines — A victim of kidnapping twice on Tuesday faced the Senate and shared his “horrible” experience that may well illustrate the deteriorating law and order in the country.
Ka Kuen Chua, chairman of the Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order (MPRO), told the Senate committee on public and order that he was kidnapped for 17 days in September 2008 and again in May 2012 for five days.
“If there’s anyone in this meeting who looks to benefit the most from highly modernized and fully professionalized national police, it’s us. The members of the MRPO, who ourselves are victims of kidnapping and other related crimes,” Chua said.
“I, for one, am a victim and once kidnapped. But in spite of that, I can still regard myself being lucky as I did not end like other members whose families have since mourned their deaths.”
Chua said he paid ransom when he was first kidnapped but was not freed until he was rescued by an anti-kidnapping group.
After the promulgation of case, however, he was again abducted by another group in May 2012.
“Our horrible experiences would have been prevented at the very least, the likelihood of them happening would have been diminished, had there been an efficient peace and order control system in place,” he said.
But instead of solving the problem, Chua said, the peace and order situation in the country even got worse with the reported involvement of some policemen in crimes.
“Though it is not for us to conclude that the national police organization is reeking of rats, suffice to state that the rotten eggs in the organization have worked to diminish our trust in our then regarded friendly neighborhood police, and this begs the question where to go when the persons who are supposed to protect us are the same individuals who undermine the social order?” he said.
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