PNP News Releases 2006

KIDNAP CASES DOWN IN PAST 10 MONTHS OF 2006

Cases of kidnapping-for-ransom dropped significantly during the past ten months of this year, indicating a projected yearend total that is very much lower than the 63 kidnapping cases recorded in 2005.

PNP Chief, Director General Oscar C Calderon said the PNP and the Citizens Action Against Crime (CAAC) and Movement for the Restoration of Peace and Order (MRPO) share the same record of kidnapping statistics.

Calderon said the PNP and CAAC-MRPO have recorded 55 separate cases of kidnapping and abduction from January to October of 2006, with 78 alleged victims.

However, Calderon clarified, only 34 of these incidents were kidnapping-for-ransom cases wherein 45 victims were abducted, and an estimated P23.2-million in ransom was paid.

"These 34 verified kidnapping-for-ransom incidents happening during the past ten months of this year is still very much lower compared to the 63 incidents recorded during the entire year of 2005," Calderon said.

The rest of the incidents, the Chief PNP said, were cases of abduction and serious illegal detention arising out of circumstances other than kidnapping for ransom.

These cases include, simple abduction, extortion, missing persons, elopement, false report, foiled kidnapping, and stage-managed kidnapping.

"It is unfortunate that some quarters inadvertently lumped all these other incidents with the kidnapping-for-ransom cases, thus, came up with inaccurate information and erroneous conclusion," Calderon said.

The Chief PNP assured that the PNP, mainly through the efforts of the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response (PACER) has kept the more notorious KFR syndicates on the run, and the movement of newly emerging organized crime groups is constantly checked.

Calderon said he is grateful for the cooperation and support of leaders from the Chinese-Filipino community, as well as the victims' families that led to the early solution of previous cases of kidnapping.