Binondo kidnappings confirmed

Senior Supt. Noli Ozaeta, chief of the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG), on Monday confirmed President Duterte’s statements that six abductions had been recorded in the Chinese district of Binondo in the last three weeks.

“I’ve had that list for two months. There were four two months ago, and two were added recently. But the [abductees of the] two [incidents] reported to us were already released. But we consider it ‘live’ because we still have to file the case,” Ozaeta said at a press briefing at the the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame on Monday.

Ozaeta clarified that the victims in the four other incidents have not been reported to the PNP-AKG.

Ozaeta said kidnap victims are usually Chinese businessmen, and the ransom demanded range from P5 to P20 million.

Earlier, National Capital Region Police Office director Chief Supt. Oscar Albayalde said there were no reported abductions in Manila over the past months.

In a convention of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) in Manila last week, the President said drug syndicates had already “shifted” to kidnapping due to the administration’s war on drugs.

“There’s a very low supply of drugs now. But they shifted to kidnapping,” Mr. Duterte said in a speech before members of the IBP.

“I cannot discount what the President in his speech told the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, when he said that kidnappings were on the rise. We’re expecting it since [because of the] anti-illegal drugs operations, criminality would shift. There is a connection between kidnapping and illegal drugs operations, and not only kidnapping, but also other crimes. Theft, robbery and other crimes against property may rise,” Ozaeta said.

The AKG, Ozaeta said, is currently focusing on a new modus operandi of kidnap-for-ransom groups which rides on the war on drugs.

“They would introduce themselves as authorities, either from the [National Bureau of Investigation] or [Philippine National Police]. They would tell you that you have a warrant for drugs. Then when they have the person in their custody, they will extort from them,” Ozaeta described.

Ozaeta said that since January, there have been 22 cases of kidnappings nationwide, with 32 victims: eight in the National Capital Region with eight victims; one in the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) with one victim; one in Region 1 with one victim; four in Region 3 with five victims; two in Region 9 with six victims; and three in Region 10 with six victims. —WITH A REPORT FROM LEILA B. SALAVERRIA