Senate to Probe Series of Abductions in the Country

Following the increasing number of reports regarding abductions since President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. took office, Senator Grace Poe is set to file a resolution urging Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa-led Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs to conduct a formal inquiry on abduction cases.

Poe commented that the abduction reports threaten the safety of the public.

“An abduction case is one too many. We cannot allow this situation to threaten our people’s safety and trample on our efforts to help them get through the difficult times,” Poe said.

This comes as the Philippine Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (PCCCII) reported multiple abduction incidents in the last 10 days.

PCCCII President Lugene Ang reported that 56 abduction incidents happened in the last 10 days that involved Filipino and Chinese nationals. These included children.

According to Poe, the report excluded unreported cases.

Moreover, PCCCII said that the kidnappers use torture, intimidation, and rape to demand ransom.

“These kidnappers are worse than animals. They use torture and intimidation, rape women, and send videos to the victim’s relatives demanding huge sums of money. In some cases, the victims were even sold to other kidnapping groups. These are unprecedented and beyond human comprehension,” PCCCII said.

Poe’s resolution added a graphic description of one of the abductions, citing the kidnap-slay of Iraseth Pharma Inc. chief executive officer Eduardo Tolosa Jr., who was reportedly burned for three days.

Tolosa Jr. was last seen in Bonifacio Global City “in a Toyota Land Cruiser when he picked up P5.7 million in cash and two expensive watches,” Poe’s resolution read.

The resolution also cited another incident in a circulating traffic video titled “Kidnapping sa Skyway galing airport.”

The video shows three unidentified vehicles surrounding a white vehicle in the Skyway, with multiple individuals trying to open the cornered vehicle.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Deputy Chief for Administration Jose Chiquito Malayo disputed the figures PCCCII had given, saying that only four recorded abduction incidents this year.

Of the four abduction incidents, one is related to Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), with kidnappers being foreign nationals.

However, a report from the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG) belied Malayo’s statement a few days later as they reported 27 kidnapping cases from January to September, with 15 POGO-related, 11 kidnapping-for-ransom cases, and one casino-related case.

Poe added, “there is an urgent need to determine the status of these cases, possible motives, agency efforts to identify the perpetrators, and the measures instituted by relevant authorities to prevent the continuous rise of abduction cases in the country.”

“There is also a need to ascertain claims that foreign nationals are conducting these criminal activities,” the resolution added.

Earlier this year, Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. urged the PNP to verify reports of the increasing number of abductions going viral on social media, with victims being minor children, mostly female, being taken by kidnappers in white vans.

“We have to be certain as to the truth or falsity of these reports,” Revilla said, adding “if true, then the PNP should waste no effort in apprehending the perpetrators. If however they are proven to be hoaxes, then the PNP should not be content in just saying so, but ensure that those responsible are also identified and made accountable. As we ensure that no unnecessary worry is spread among the public, we must guarantee the safety of the people.” (GFB)