Recently, there has been a surge in kidnapping cases across the Philippines, causing great social concern. The anti-crime organization "Movement for the Restoration of Peace and Order" (MRPO) points out that this trend may be related to the government's crackdown and closure of offshore online gambling operators (POGO).
A particularly shocking case involved a 14-year-old victim. The student was kidnapped, and the kidnappers brutally cut off his fingers and sent them to his family to extort a high ransom.
Teresita Ang-See, the founding chairperson of MRPO, strongly condemned this, stating that such cruel methods were unprecedented. She criticized, "This act of violence is extremely inhumane; we have never encountered such a case before."
Although kidnapping for ransom is not new in the Philippines, MRPO emphasizes that the recent cases have shown a significant escalation in violence and a trend towards younger victims. Ang-See revealed that the ransom amounts demanded by criminals are much higher than in previous years, indicating a new pattern of crime is forming.
According to reports, the victim's family told the police that they suspect the case is related to the online gambling industry. The investigation found that the main suspect, the family's driver, had previously worked at a large online gambling company in Clark, Pampanga.
Ang-See analyzed, "This driver had only been working for the family for a month, but had previously been employed at a well-known online BC company in Clark. We have heard of cases where people were kidnapped because they could not pay gambling debts, and the modus operandi in this case is highly similar."
MRPO data shows that there have been at least four kidnapping cases in January alone, most of which involved Chinese criminal groups. Although not all victims are directly related to online gambling, the pattern of the cases is very similar to previous related cases, which is concerning.
Ang-See warned, "Business people are panicking, which is exactly what they feared. Many criminals come from Chinese criminal groups, and the government is caught off guard, without adequate measures in place." She also pointed out that the crackdown on online gambling has led to a large number of drivers and workers losing their jobs, affecting not only Chinese nationals but also local Filipinos, which may indirectly contribute to the rise in crime rates.
In response to the increasingly rampant kidnapping crimes, the Philippine police, armed forces, and the National Capital Region Police Office have strengthened cooperation and successfully rescued a kidnapped victim, Andy Wan (transliterated).
MRPO thanked the law enforcement agencies for their relentless efforts in a statement and highly praised the media's cooperation: "The news organizations followed our request not to release information prematurely, ensuring the safety of the victim." The statement also emphasized, "The collaboration of law enforcement, media, and private institutions has produced positive results. This shows that crime cannot prevail, and justice will ultimately triumph over evil."
As kidnapping cases become more frequent, various sectors of society are calling on the government to take stronger measures to ensure public safety and intensify the crackdown on potential criminal gangs to prevent further spread of heinous cases.
