Kidnapping-Related Incidents – September 2025
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PSA Consultancy recorded four (4) kidnapping-related incidents involving five (5) victims in September 2025. Analysts recorded one kidnap-for-ransom incident for the month, involving a ransom demand worth PHP 500 million (USD 5.83 million). There were no recorded foreign kidnapping victims for September.
Geographically, two kidnapping incidents occurred in Metro Manila (one each in Manila and Quezon cities). The remaining incidents occurred in the provinces of Bulacan and Pangasinan.
Analysts recorded two successful rescue operations in response to a kidnap-for-ransom and a child abduction for the month of September. The victims were held captive for two to nine days prior to their rescue. None of the kidnapping incidents in September resulted in the demise of the victims.
PSA recorded two incidents involving confirmed government security forces as perpetrators. One incident was a kidnap-for-ransom that targeted a Filipino-Chinese businesswoman, highlighting the low, reoccurring risk of financially motivated abductions against members of the Filipino-Chinese business community. The second incident was a politically motivated abduction against two delivery riders with alleged illegal drug-related charges. One of the victims denied the allegations and has filed charges against the suspects, who have since been relieved.
Analysts note that there have been historical instances of rogue military or police officers, both in active duty and discharged, being involved in criminal activity such as kidnapping in the Philippines. These incidents may be criminal or political in motivation. The involvement of law enforcement in local kidnapping incidents has decreased in recent years compared to their height in the 1990s and early 2000s.
