Kidnapping-Related Incidents – July 2025
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PSA Consultancy recorded four (4) kidnapping-related incidents involving four (4) victims in July 2025. Child abductions accounted for half of the month’s incidents. Only one incident involved the demand for an undisclosed amount of ransom.
Of the four (4) kidnap victims reported during the period, one was a foreign victim of Chinese nationality. PSA recorded zero kidnapping incidents targeting a Western national this month.
Geographically, two kidnapping incidents occurred in Metro Manila (one each in Parañaque and Quezon cities). The remaining incidents occurred in the provinces of Benguet and Leyte.
Analysts recorded two successful rescue operations in response to a kidnap-for-ransom and a child abduction for the month of June. The victims were held captive for less than a day to thirteen days prior to rescue. Meanwhile, one of the kidnapping incidents in May resulted in the demise of the victim.
The lone kidnap-for-ransom incident recorded in June involved Chinese suspects abducting a Chinese businessman in Parañaque City. The suspects reportedly lured the victim with a fraudulent car sale transaction. PSA notes that amidst the abolition of the offshore gaming (POGO) sector in December 2024, violent crime incidents involving ethnic Chinese threat actors persist to a relatively lower extent than in previous years. Nonetheless, there are currently no indicators yet of these threat actors randomly abducting other foreigners or even locals for ransom. Many of these incidents continue to be premeditated and targeted.
