Senate panel to open investigation into kidnappings on Thursday

The  Senate Committee on Public Order will conduct an investigation into the rise of cases of kidnapping and disappearances around the country, after three senators filed separate resolutions urging a Senate probe.

In a message to reporters on Monday, the office of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said the Senate panel will convene on Thursday, September 15.

Earlier in the day, in their resolutions Senators Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Imee Marcos, and Grace Poe cited recent incidents involving women and foreign nationals, including the case of 15-year-old Princess Marie Dumantay, 22-year-old Jovelyn Galleno, and kidnap-for-ransom victim Eduardo Tolosa.

They also brought up the Philippine Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc.'s (PCCI) raising the alarm over the spate of kidnapping incidents targeting the Filipino-Chinese community.

“There is a need to establish peace and order in our society and send a message to everyone, Filipinos and foreigners alike, that no one is above the law,” Ejercito said in filing Senate Resolution No. 194.

“As the Philippine economy continues to recover from the negative effects of the pandemic by opening its doors to tourists and investors, the government should see to it that the country is indeed a safe place to visit and do business,” he added.

In filing her still unnumbered resolution, Poe for her part said there “is an urgent need to determine the status of these cases, possible motives, agency efforts to identify the perpetrators, and the measures instituted by relevant authorities to prevent the continuous rise of abduction in the country.”

“There is also a need to ascertain the claims that foreign nationals are conducting these criminal activities,” she added.

Meanwhile, Marcos said in Senate Resolution No. 185 that the “alarming number” of incidents of abuse, kidnapping, disappearances, and killing of women in the country shows “there is a need to determine whether the laws, rules, and regulations enacted and promulgated for the protection of women and children are being properly implemented."

Dela Rosa, a former national police chief, previously urged the PNP to be more proactive and aggressive in going after criminals following reports of kidnapping incidents in the country recently. — BM, GMA News