Author: Julius Mariveles

By Fernando R. Cabigao and Cong B. Corrales

IT IS a plan with many ifs but if implemented, it is hoped that the National Police’ Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG) in the Philippines will be more effective in solving the recent spate of kidnap-for-ransom cases (KFR) in the country.

The first if: if Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas III’s plan will be followed, the AKG will be able to implement a “one target, one team” scheme.

The bigger if: if the AKG can fill up all 438 positions, only then can it be more effective.

Roxas, speaking before a forum on “Anti-Kidnapping Action and Prevention” organized by the Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order, said this is part of efforts to re-orient the PNP so it can focus on solving crimes.

The forum held at the Kaisa-Angelo King Heritage Center in Intramuros, Manila, drew citizens and government officials concerned with the recent incidents of kidnapping in the Philippine capital. Police officials were quoted in several reports that kidnap-for-ransom groups are now targeting not only executives but also physicians.

While Roxas hopes that his plan will solve and deter kidnapping through swift resolution of cases, AKG chief Senior Supt. Renato Gumban said there are many factors to consider before it can be implemented. He pointed out, for example, that of the 438 positions in the AKG, the PNP has filled up only 216 of these.

This is not even half the number of personnel needed to monitor all KFR cases, which is why AKG personnel usually handle multiple cases.

Filling up the available positions,hhowever, is a “difficult and rigorous tasks” according to Gumban since they have to look for personnel that will match the skills and qualifications needed for the tasks. They also have to perform a background check on applicants or possible recruits to screen out those who may have connections to KFR groups.

Teresita Ang-See, founding chair of MRPO, said the AKG should have dedicated personnel who will focus on kidnapping cases and not only join the anti-kidnapping unit to be promoted.

Instead of reading his prepared speech, PNP Chief Alan Purisima chose to address the points See raised. He assured See that he will check on the recruitment AKG personnel.

“We will review all operational details and personnel of (the) Anti-Kidnapping Group. We were then a task force, meaning trabaho lang ang ginagawa at walang promotion na iniisip. We should be focusing on the kidnapping cases. I will personally look into (this). Kung kailangan ibalik natin strategies nung PACER dati, we will do that,” Purisima said.

Purisima used to head the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response (PACER) from 2002 to 2003 and later became head of the PACER National Anti-Kidnapping Task Force (NAKTAF) Strike Force/PACER from 2003 to 2005.

“Piliin ng mabuti ang personnel because handling kidnap for ransom cases needs special skills. We (review) the background of each personnel carefully because it is more dangerous in the future kasi alam na nila how the unit operates,” he said.

He also called citizens to help the police in catching criminals. One way is by reporting incidents to the police. “The filing of cases is very important because if we do not have a warrant of arrest, we cannot just arrest any person,” he said.

For Gumban, if the relatives of the kidnap victims will only report to the police, they could then file charges against the suspects and lessen incidents in the country.

Roxas said he is giving Purisima “departmental, administrative cover” to improve the performance of the AKG.

“Seryoso namin gagampanan ang aming mga tungkulin bilang kapwa mamamayan para mas lalong safe ang mamamayan. Binibigyan ko (si Purisima) ng departmental, administrative cover to do what needs to be done,” Roxas said.

Roxas added that the PNP will apply to the AKG the learnings they culled from their 10-week old “Operation Lambat.” Although he did not elaborate, he said Operation Lambat is instrumental in the successful arrest of the suspects of the killing of international car racer Ferdinand “Enzo” Pastor.

“We will apply the one target-one team approach which we learned from Operation Lambat. This will be one of the immediate changes we will implement with (the) AKG,” he said. This strategy meant that one team will concentrate all its skills and resources one kidnap-for-ransom suspect.

He added that kidnap-for-ransom syndicates continue to operate in the country because it is simply a profitable criminal venture.

Even if the death penalty is implemented, there is a low chance that the criminals will be caught and the crime will continue. Kidnapping must be “prohibitively expensive” to discourage criminals, Roxas also said.

The MRPO had described the recent kidnapping cases as “alarming” as it urged the AKG to intensify its manhunt operations and improve the arrest and neutralization of groups operating in Pampanga, Cavite, and Manila.

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It added that in Luzon, there were 27 KFR incidents in 2012, 22 in 2013, and 19 from January up to August 2014. Of the 19 KFR incidents in 2014, nine of these happened in Metro Manila. Most of the KFR cases from 2011 to 2014 are “still for filing” or “to start trial” as the AKG continued to build up on the cases and/or arrest the suspects, the group added.

However, Gumban said the AKG only listed 18 KFR cases in 2013. They filed 17 cases against the suspects in court while one case is still under investigation. Out of the 19 KFR cases from January to August this year, the AKG also filed eight in court, another eight are under investigation, and the remaining three are “live” cases.

“Before Manila was spared but now it is not exempted,” See said. Aside from Manila, vulnerable places include Laguna, Pampanga, and Cavite. Victims are mostly Filipino-Chinese, she added.

See was puzzled, however, over the decision of turning the anti-kidnapping task force into a regular unit. She members of a regular unit might be more concerned on earning promotions than solving the cases.

“If the personnel keeps changing, how can we expect focus on the cases. We should study which is better and effective – a regular unit or the task force (approach),” she said.