DOJ forms anti-kidnapping task force

Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has ordered the creation of an inter-agency task force that would deal with kidnapping cases.

Remulla said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants the new body to "stay on top of the situation" amid the recent cases of kidnapping in the country.

The task force will be composed of the DOJ, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“With the creation of the task force, magkakatulung-tulong tayo at nandito nga ang mga different organization, Chinese-Filipino Chamber of Commerce, naalarma na sila. So don't be alarmed. Nasa taas pa rin kami ng situation, with our Secretary of Justice on top,” said NBI Director Jaime Santiago.

(With the creation of the task force, we will be helping each other and we have all the different organizations, Chinese-Filipino Chamber of Commerce. So don’t be alarmed. We are still on top of the situation with our Secretary of Justice.)

Philippine National Police Chief of Staff General Rommel Marbil also said that authorities are investigating the kidnap slay of businessman Anson Tan.

“Hindi namin masabi kung nasan na ba ang extent ng investigation… So, we keep quiet, na akala ng ating mamamayan, wala kaming ginagawa. But number one protocol namin sa kidnapping cases, the safety of the kidnapped victim is paramount… Very sensitive nga itong ganitong mga kaso. Remember, may iniingatan tayong buhay na dapat maligtas,” Santiago added.

(We cannot give details about the investigation. We are keeping quiet. Our number one protocol in kidnapping cases is the safety of the victim. These cases are very sensitive. We have to ensure that lives are saved.)

A hotline for tips or reports about kidnapping cases will be launched over the next few days, the officials said.

Unreported incidents

Remulla lamented some families of kidnap victims do not report the incidents.

“There are some unreported incidents actually. Many families chose not to cooperate with law enforcement and we only found out nung tapos na, (when it was over)," he said.

“In the very end, pag hindi tayo nag-cooperate, hindi natin mahuhuli ang gagawa. We'll all be fodder to them. Pakain lang tayo lahat sa kanilang mga gawain… kaya kinakailangan talaga cooperation ng community at enforcement dito sa bagay na ito,” he said.

(In the end, if we don’t cooperate, we won’t catch who did it. We’ll all be fodder to them. We’re all just food to whatever they will be doing… that’s why we really need the cooperation of the community and enforcement in these things.)

Meanwhile, Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers Of Commerce & Industry, Inc. president Cecilio Pedro assured the community that “everything is moving forward” following the Tan incident.

“All of them are doing their best to help us and we're very confident that this issue will be addressed very soon, sooner than soon,” he said.

“This kind of crime should not be tolerated, should not be accepted here in this society, especially here in the Philippines… We’re very assured, we’re very confident that we will get on top of this issue, and hopefully, something good will come out of this,” he added. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/LDF, GMA Integrated News