Authorities eye personal grudge in Makati City kidnap case

A "personal grudge" may be behind the abduction of a Chinese woman in Makati City on Monday night, police said Thursday.

The victim, a POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations) employee, may have been taken for reasons connected to her occupation and not for ransom, said Makati police chief Police Colonel Rogelio Simon.

"It's either may kasalanan, may ginawang mali sa company, o personal grudge 'yung dahilan para kunin siya," Simon said in a report by Oscar Oida on State of the Nation Address with Jessica Soho.

"Ngayon, doon sa tatlong lead namin dito, mas matimbang 'yung kanyang kasalanan doon sa company," he added.

The woman, Zhou Mei, was abducted on Paseo de Roxas on Monday night. The incident was captured on video by a bystander.

On Wednesday, police said Zhou's husband, Chen Tangbin, was considered a person of interest in the case. After giving a testimony to authorities, his answers were found to be "inconsistent."

Simon also said they have also received numerous complaints from POGO employers against their employees.

"Alam natin 'yung mga POGO na maraming insidente dito na 'yung kanilang mga empleyado mismo nakakagawa ng kasalanan through doon sa pagnanakaw ng mga data, which is 'yun 'yung mga pinakamahala sa mga POGO companies," he said.

He also claimed that the Chinese have "their own way of settling disputes" and would resort to other methods if legal processes could not be used.

"Itong mga Chinese kasi, traditionally, and doon sa culture nila, parang meron silang—they have their own way of settling disputes sa mga ibang party. Pag hindi nila madaan sa legal, nag re-resort sila sa mga ganoon," Simon said.

The police will call in Zhou's employers for questioning.

According to the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group, more than half of the kidnapping cases this year involved Chinese nationals and were linked to POGOs and casinos. — Joahna Lei Casilao/BM, GMA News