Anson Que’s family grieving, supports efforts to capture perpetrators —counsel

The family of businessman Anson Que is currently grieving his death and expressed support to the efforts of the police to arrest the perpetrators, their counsel said on Thursday.

In a statement, the family’s counsel Atty. Mei Go said they received the news about the discovery of the bodies of Que and of his driver in Rodriguez, Rizal on Wednesday.

“The Philippine National Police, particularly the Anti-Kidnapping Group, is already conducting its investigation on the matter,” Go said.

“The spouse and children of Mr. Anson Tan, who are presently grieving their loss, fully support the action of the PNP-AKG to bring the perpetrators to justice,” the lawyer said.

In a separate statement, the Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order (MRPO) strongly condemned the "brutal" killings of Que and his driver Armanie Pabillo.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Que and Pabillo families at this very difficult time and fervently hope that the perpetrators will soon be caught and brought to justice,” the MRPO said.

The group called on government agencies to take swift and decisive action to restore peace and security.

“We are one with the public in calling law enforcement authorities to step up, take urgent action, and put a stop to these senseless acts of violence. We have three cases in just five weeks,” the group said.

The MRPO also warned the public against spreading unverified news, photos, or videos in connection with the incident “as this further endangers the victims and their families and complicates the case.”

Police Regional Office 4A (PRO 4A) on Thursday said the bodies were discovered by a concerned citizen on a roadside in Sitio Udiongan, Barangay Macabud around 6 a.m. on Wednesday.

“The two bodies were placed in a nylon bag, tied with nylon rope, and their faces were wrapped with duct tape,” PRO 4A public information office chief Police Lieutenant Colonel Chitadel Gaoiran said.

They were only wearing underwear and their heads were covered in blood, according to the police.

Que and his driver were last seen alive on March 29 around 2 p.m. when they left Valenzuela City for a meeting. They were reported missing on March 30 after failing to go home and show up for their appointments.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is pursuing some leads in the case including the possibility that the perpetrators were involved in previous kidnappings and Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

A special investigation task group has been created to focus on the case.

The PNP said the last vehicle the victims used was found by the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) in Quezon City on Tuesday.

According to Fajardo, the police are looking into the real motive in the abduction considering that the perpetrators supposedly asked for ransom but still killed the victims.—Joviland Rita/AOL, GMA Integrated News