PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief General Rommel Marbil has assured the public that there is no widespread or random kidnapping spree in the country amid the recently reported abduction incidents.
“These are isolated, calculated acts rooted in personal and financial vendettas. The situation is firmly under control. Our law enforcement strategies are effective. Criminal networks are being taken down,” Marbil said in a statement on Sunday evening, April 20, 2025.
Marbil issued the remark following the kidnapping-for-ransom of two Chinese nationals, including a minor over the past months.
Another victim, businessman Anson Que along with his driver, Armanie Pabillo, were killed despite paying around P200 million in crypto currency.
Que and Pabillo’s bodies were recovered in Sitio Udiongan, Barangay Macabud in Rodriguez, Rizal, with their heads wrapped in duct tapes and their hands tied on their backs, nearly two weeks after they were abducted.
Three suspects, including two Filipinos identified as Raymart Catequista and Richard Tan Garcia, and a Chinese national David Tan Liao are now under police custody over their involvement in Que's case, which caused alarm to the Chinese community in the country, especially businessmen.
Marbil lauded the swift resolution of the kidnapping and murder of Que, saying it is a landmark breakthrough that underscores the PNP’s effectiveness in swiftly solving heinous crimes.
“Case solved. Justice served. This was not a random act of kidnap-for-ransom, but a calculated kidnap-for-hire operation,” Marbil said.
“Unlike traditional kidnap-for-ransom syndicates, David Tan Liao personally directed a rogue kidnap-for-hire operation -- a shadowy and transactional criminal enterprise where he recruited and paid local henchmen to carry out abductions and executions. These were not random acts but deliberate, contract-based crimes targeting individuals embroiled in disputes over unpaid debts, betrayals, or internal conflicts,” he added.
Marbil said a follow-up operation is still ongoing for the two other Chinese nationals who are identified as principal suspects in the incident.
The PNP earlier said Que's kidnapping and murder was planned as early as January.
Marbil emphasized that the PNP’s swift case buildup, pursuit operations, and intelligence coordination were key to dismantling Liao’s network and solving five other major kidnap-for-hire cases linked to the same group.
“With six major cases now resolved, our focus is on the financiers -- the real power behind these blood-for-hire operations,” he said.
Marbil assured the public that the PNP remains relentless in its mission to pursue every mastermind, financier, and hired perpetrator, regardless of their status or influence.
“There will be no refuge for criminals who turn vengeance into violence. The message is clear -- the rule of law prevails -- and it will be enforced without fear or favor,” he added. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)