THE PNP yesterday said it has recorded only 27 kidnapping cases since January, disputing a claim by the Philippine Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) last Tuesday that there were 56 kidnapping cases in the last 10 days alone.
In a press briefing at the PNP national headquarters at Camp Crame, PNP spokeswoman Col. Jean Fajardo said officials of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Task Force met with PCCI officials later Tuesday to clarify the matter.
“For this year, they (AKG officials) recorded 27 and many of these cases are POGO-related,” said Fajardo, referring to the kidnapping of Philippine Offshore Gaming Corporation workers.
Fajardo said there were 15 POGO-related kidnapping incidents recorded since January. She said the victims were abducted because they failed to pay their debts.
Fajardo said 11 cases were the “traditional kidnapping” kind, three of them for ransom, and one was “casino-related.”
Of the total 27 cases, Fajardo said 11 have been “solved,” meaning the charges have been filed and the suspects arrested; four are considered “cleared” or charges have been filed but the suspects are still at-large; while the remaining 12 are still under investigation.
During the meeting, Fajardo said PCCI officials failed to substantiate their claim about the 56 kidnapping cases.
“They said someone reported to them these incidents,” said Fajardo, adding: “The PCCI was enlightened that there were no 56 kidnapping cases for the last 10 days. When the PNP-AKG showed the data, they (PCCI officials) were enlightened that for 2022, the record is 27 kidnapping cases.”
The PCCI revealed the information about the 56 kidnapping cases during a press conference at the House of Representatives.
PCCI president Lugene Ang said the “disturbing events create a state of fear and uneasiness among the Filipino-Chinese community.”
PNP deputy chief for administration Lt Gen. Jose Chiquito Malayo, who was present during the press conference, initially said there were only four kidnapping incidents recorded by the PNP — three “regular kidnappings” and one POGO-related.
