A 14-year-old kidnap victim clad in pajamas and missing a part of his right little finger was rescued along Macapagal Avenue in Parañaque City after his abductors ditched him during a police pursuit, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said.
The kidnappers, like their target, were Chinese nationals part of a “sophisticated” syndicate with ties to the now-banned POGOs, Remulla said.
“We are definite that the syndicate behind the kidnapping were former POGO operators,” Remulla said in a Palace briefing, adding those involved had lost a lucrative living when the POGO hubs were shuttered.
“These groups have continued to operate within the country, and we will ensure that they are neutralized as soon as possible…We know their members. We have knowledge of their whereabouts. We know their hideouts. Expect that in the coming days we will intensify our drive to arrest these kidnappers,” he added.
The kidnappers tried and failed to obtain a ransom, initially at $20 million before lowering it to $1 million, he said.
Remulla said at one point, the kidnappers sent the parents a video of the victim’s finger being severe before they were tracked down on Tuesday and pursued by police who homed in on their cell phone signal.
“The choice was pursuing the vehicle or securing the child. Obviously, the (police) prioritized the child,” Remulla said, adding that a manhunt remains underway.
The boy’s driver, who had picked him up outside an exclusive private school days earlier, was found murdered inside another vehicle in Bulacan.
“These (cases) arose in January after all POGOs were closed, they got into kidnapping,” Remulla said. He did not provide statistics.
While describing the incident as a “Chinese against Chinese” crime, Remulla said disaffected former Filipino police or soldiers were likely used as foot soldiers in some cases.
Notorious as fronts for human trafficking, money laundering and fraud, POGOs were banned by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last year, sending those who worked for them in search of new income streams.
Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission head Gilberto Cruz said there were still about 11,000 Chinese nationals in the country after the gambling sites they worked for were shuttered.
“Some have turned to other crimes, but we can’t provide numbers as of now,” he said, adding that some had likely ventured into “kidnapping operations.”
The immigration bureau said Wednesday about 300 foreign nationals linked to POGOs were being held at a detention facility built for 100 while awaiting deportation.
At least 98 Chinese nationals had been repatriated to China aboard a chartered Philippine Airlines flight on Tuesday night.
National police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil on Tuesday said from January 2024 to February 2025, the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG) recorded a total of 40 kidnapping cases, 10 of which involved Chinese nationals as victims, all reportedly abducted by their compatriots.
“These incidents highlight the continuing challenges posed by criminal syndicates operating in the aftermath of the POGO shutdown,” Marbil said.
Senators on Wednesday warned the POGO industry remains a major driver of criminal activity in the country.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said: “I reiterate my call for the critical and urgent need to wipe out POGOs once and for all. We cannot and must not allow their criminal operations to continue spreading fear, lawlessness, and danger in our communities.
Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros pointed out that kidnappings, particularly those involving foreign nationals, have surged alongside the rise of POGOs.
“It is hard to become completely POGO-free immediately because they have been here for at least nine years or eight years since (former president Rodrigo) Duterte’s time. But even if it’s difficult, we can and we should put an end to them,” she said.
Hontiveros said it is likely that several POGO bosses remain in the country, overseeing illegal operations that have gone underground. With AFP