Lacson, police officers slapped with kidnapping charges

Senator Panfilo Lacson, and over a dozen others mostly former police officials were slapped with kidnapping charges before the Department of Justice for their alleged involvement in the abduction of two Chinese nationals ten years ago. The Philippine National Police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group filed two counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention against Lacson, head of the Presidential Anti-Organized Task Force (PAOCTF) during the Estrada administration, and his co-respondents for the alleged abduction of Chong Hiu Ming and Wong Kam Chong on December 30, 1998, and March 26, 1999, respectively. The first victim was allegedly taken by the aabductors while on board a van shortly after leaving the Philippine Plaza Hotel heading for Lai Lai Hotel, while the second was reportedly kidnapped outside the gate of Damar Village in Quezon City while on board a Mercedes Benz van with plate number URX-928. Twenty seven witnesses, including police informant Mary “Rosebud" Ong and her siblings, were identified in the complaint, which pointed out that “despite the payment of huge ransoms, the two (victims) were never released to their relatives and are still missing." The police noted that efforts exerted by the victims' relatives to locate them, even through the help of their lawyer, Atty. Rodolfo Tablante and the intercession of then consul General Fu Binglian of the People's Republic of China, proved futile. It was also claimed in the complaint that the two victims from Hong Kong were reportedly being monitored from October 1998 to July 1999 by the HK Narcotics Bureau, the PAOCTF then headed by Lacson, and the PNP Narcotics Group then led by Reynaldo Acop Aside from Lacson and Acop, the respondents to the complaint are: retired police officials P/Chief Insp. Avelino Abogado, P/Sr. Insp. Cesar Aquino, lawyer Evaristo Gana, and former P/Sr. Supt. Michael Ray Aquino. Likewise included in the complaint are P/Supts. Francisco Villaroman and Teofilo Andrada, P/Insp. Dennis Reed Tuvera, SPO3 Mabini Rosales, SPO2 Cresencio Purugganan, SPO2 Antonio Ventura, SPO3 Noel Almerino, and SPO1 Danilo Castro. - GMANews.TV