Kidnapping-Related Incidents – December 2024
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PSA Consultancy recorded three (3) kidnapping-related incidents involving three (3) victims in December 2024. All three incidents were personal dispute-related abductions.
Of the three kidnap victims reported during the period, two were foreign victims of Chinese nationality, while one was a local resident. PSA recorded zero kidnapping incidents targeting a Western national this month. The recorded incidents occurred in Metro Manila (Parañaque City) and in the provinces of Bulacan and Cebu. None of the kidnapping incidents in December resulted in the demise of the victims.
One of the incidents involved the abduction of a Chinese businessman by suspects posing as government security forces in Parañaque City. The victim had alleged high-profile ties to the offshore gaming or POGO industry. PSA notes that kidnapping suspects tend to employ the modus operandi of posing as law enforcement officials using fake or stolen uniforms to more easily coerce their victims. At the same time, analysts also recognize the occurrence of kidnapping incidents with confirmed government forces as perpetrators. These incidents, however, are often targeted and politically motivated. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen whether the recent outlawing of POGO firms in the Philippines (effective December 2024) would result in similar incidents targeting high-profile individuals involved with the POGO sector.
Meanwhile, one incident recorded in December 2024 involved the abduction of a Chinese businessman in Bulacan. The incident appears to be a kidnap robbery following reports that over PHP 5 million (USD 86,394.58) in cash and valuables were stolen from the victim’s household vault. An investigation was underway.
PSA recorded one successful rescue operation this month, in response to one personal dispute-related abduction. The victim was held for a day prior to their rescue.
