MANILA - Kidnappings in the Philippines reached a record total of 135 reported cases in 2008, the highest in a 12-year period, according to an annual study done by risk consultancy firm Pacific Strategies & Assessments (PSA).

The PSA Philippines Kidnapping Report 2008 showed that the total number of kidnap-for-ransom cases rose 25 percent last year, from 102 reported cases in 2007 to 135 cases in 2008. It noted that since the vast majority of kidnap-for-ransom cases are not reported to government authorities or the media, the actual number of incidents is believed to be significantly higher.

Of the 135 reported KFR cases, more than half (74) were at the hands of known kidnap syndicates. Filipino victims accounted for 76 percent of all reported cases while Chinese-Filipinos accounted for a mere four percent.

Majority of targets are middle to upper class Filipinos and Filipino Chinese that operate small businesses. The study also noted that the wealthiest Filipino families are rarely targeted due to political connections and perceived influence.

The study said endemic corruption at all levels of government coupled with weak rule of law and inept law enforcement contribute to the rise in KFR activities in the country.

"The public has decidedly little confidence in the Philippine National Police. Many families of kidnap victims -- and particularly those of Chinese-Filipino heritage -- decline to cooperate with the PNP due to perceptions that the organization actively protects KFR syndicates and filters back critical information to syndicate leaders that allow them to negotiate a higher ransom," the PSA report said.

Teresita Ang-See, founding chairman of the Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order, however, refuted the report. She said Chinese-Filipino kidnap victims are now cooperating closely with the PNP-Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response (PACER) to go after kidnap syndicates.

“The first step for PACER is to restore confidence and I think that they have done that. While there was a marked increase in kidnappings during the first quarter of 2009, kidnap incidents are on the decline after PACER dismantled at least four major kidnap syndicates from April to July,” she told abs-cbnNEWS.com.

Ang-See said some of the kidnap syndicates dismantled by PACER in the past two years even involved active duty policemen. She said the recent kidnappings in the National Capital Region were perpetrated by “remnants” of existing kidnap syndicates already neutralized by PACER.

Ang-See, however, warned that criminal activities including kidnappings may increase in the runup to the 2010 elections.

“During election season, the police are stretched too thin and there’s also a nationwide gun ban. The gun ban is a double-edged sword because while it is supposed to lessen political violence, it also hampers law enforcers in fighting criminal syndicates who still have guns,” she said.

Indians, Korean ‘attractive targets’

Data gathered by PSA also show that in 2008 more Indian nationals (8) were kidnapped than Chinese Filipino (6). It said kidnappers usually target Indians owners of small money lending or loan shark businesses. These targets usually make their rounds according to a predictable schedule on motorcycles.

Security analysts, however, say the Chinese-Filipino community reports only a fraction of actual cases and that the number of abductions involving Chinese-Filipino residents likely exceeds that of Indian nationals.

The study also noted that Korean expatriates are becoming attractive targets for kidnapping syndicates. It said the vast majority of kidnappings involving Korean nationals go unreported due to the refusal of victims' families to coordinate with local law enforcement.

"Koreans are perceived to be well resourced, willing to pay ransom, and not involve local police. They are therefore considered attractive targets," the study said.

The study also noted that, despite widespread public perception to the contrary, "kidnapping incidents involving foreign nationals is exceedingly rare in the Philippines."

Kidnappings involving citizens from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the European Union occur but with less frequency than those from the Asia-Pacific region. The study noted that most Western expatriates live in more secure communities, making target selection and surveillance more difficult for KFR syndicates. Western kidnap victims are also far less likely to pay a ransom demand quickly and diplomatic pressure is placed on the Philippine government to resolve such cases.

It also noted that the rare abduction involving a Western expatriate typically occurs in lawless regions in southern Mindanao. Last January 2009, three workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross, including two foreigners, were kidnapped in Jolo, Sulu. All three were later released by the kidnappers.

Mindanao abductions increase

The study also showed a marked increase in abductions in the southern Mindanao region in 2008. Of the 35 cases official reported last year, 99 percent took place on either Luzon or in Mindanao with only one percent of the total number of kidnappings reported in the Visayas.

Kidnappings in Metro Manila declined by almost half, from 39 reported cases in 2007 to 20 reported cases in 2008. Within Metro Manila, there were six reported kidnap cases in Quezon City while the cities of Manila and Caloocan each recorded three abductions in 2008.
 

Kidnapping Hotspots in the Philippines

Data from January 2008 - December 2008

Perhaps the highest profile abduction in 2008 involved the kidnapping of ABS-CBN broadcaster Ces Drilon and her TV crew in Maimbung, Sulu last June 8, 2008. Assistant cameraman Angelo Valderama was the first to be released by the kidnappers on June 12, 2008, followed by Drilon, cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion and university professor Octavio Dinampo on June 17, 2008. (Note: abs-cbnNEWS.com is the online news department of ABS-CBN Interactive Inc., a subsidiary of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp.)

Indanan Mayor Alvarez Isnaji and his son, Haider, are currently facing charges for the Drilon kidnapping.

The report also noted that politically motivated abductions in the Philippines are on the decline. Human rights watchdog Karapatan reported 20 cases of political abductions from January to October 2008, down from the 26 cases reported during the same 10-month period in 2007.

Karaptan also reported 64 cases of extrajudicial murders in 2008, down from 94 the previous year. Report by David Dizon, abs-cbnNEWS.com