Fil-Chinese killed despite paying ransom

CRIMINAL gangs continue to rampage with a 62-year old Fil-Chinese businessman being killed by his kidnappers despite payment of ransom even as the assistant chief of police in San Miguel, Bulacan, was shot dead by two armed men after responding to a robbery incident with both grizzly events happening in a spate of less than one week.

In a report, the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG), with the technical intelligence assistance provided by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), announced the successful apprehension on March 23, 2023, of 4 foreigners who are the suspects in the kidnapping of Mario Sy Uy, 62, five days previously, March 18, 2023, at his hardware store along Roosevelt Avenue in Quezon City.

However, the authorities failed to prevent his being murdered by his kidnappers, 3 of them of Chinese nationality while the other, a Vietnamese, a day before their arrest.

Uy’s body was recovered in the evening of March 22, 2023, inside the Saddle and Leisure Park owned by the Sta. Lucia Realty Development, Bgy. Tres Cruses, Tanza City, Cavite, “with gunshot wounds and torture marks, including a big toe cut off, the same way POGO syndicates treat their victims,” according to the statement released by the Movement for the Restoration of Peace and Order (MRPO) on March 25, 2023.

Cavite police director, P/Col. Christopher Olazo, said the victim’s head was wrapped with a duct tape and his body wrapped in a blanket when he was found.

MRPO is a civil society group founded in 1993 as a support group for the families of Fil-Chinese victims of kidnapping during the “kidnapping wave” under the administration of Pres. Fidel V. Ramos, by Fil-Chinese Teresita Ang See.

The group said the kidnapping of Sy was carried out “with participation of local Filipinos, some of whom are AWOL police and military guns for hire.”

It added that while the method of torturing and cutting off the toes of victims mirrored the fate of POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations) abducted by local-based Chinese criminal gangs assisted by rogue cops and soldiers, Uy, however, “had never set foot in a casino or know anything about online gambling. He worked at his hardware store six and a half days a week.”

“Apparently, the kidnappers never intended to release the victim despite payment of ransom,” the group added. It added the family paid “more than P1 million” to the kidnappers.

Arrested by the police were Chinese nationals, Bei Hui Min, 30, residing at the Central Park Condominium, Pasay City, Jielong Shen, 26, no permanent address; and, Sun Xiao Hui, 26, a resident at No. 31 Street, Multinational Village, Moonwalk, Parañaque City.

They were arrested while withdrawing the balance of the ransom money at a bank in Parañaque City.

PAOCC executive director Gilbert Cruz, in his report to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, said a follow-up AKG operation one hour later resulted to the arrest Vietnamese national, Hong Puc Le, 33, a resident at Matulungin St. Bgy. Central Diliman, Quezon City, at the Uptown Mall. Bonifacio Global City.

The BPI bank account of Le was used by the kidnappers to deposit the partial ransom of P560,000 paid by Uy’s family on March 22, 2023, the day he was killed.

Armed robbers kill Bulacan assistant police chief

Meanwhile, two armed robbers killed the assistant chief of police of San Miguel, Bulacan on Saturday, March 25, 2023, based on the initial police spot report passed on to Pinoy Exposé by Arsenio ‘Boy’ Evangelista, president of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC).

Killed while leading his men in going after the suspects was P/Lt. Colonel Marlon G. Serna.

The police station earlier received a report that armed suspects staged a robbery in Bgy. San Juan, San Miguel and Serna decided to lead his men in running after the suspects.

Using the personal vehicle of Serna, the police managed to catch up with the suspects who were on board a motorcycle in Bgy. Bohol na Mangga, San Ildefonso.

Instead of yielding peacefully, one of them fired a shot hitting Serna in the head, before speeding off towards Bgy. Akle, San Ildefonso. He was declared dead on arrival at a local hospital.

A teenager, Jayjay dela Cruz Gabriel from Bgy. Soledad, Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija, was also wounded, the report said.

Other mainstream media reports stated that Serna was the chief of police (COP) of the San Miguel Police Office but the spot report identified him as ‘ACOP’ (assistant chief of police).

A P1 million reward is now up for information leading to the suspects’ arrest provided by the Department of Interior and Local Government (P500,000), the PRO3 (P300,000) and the Bulacan Police Office (P200,000).

Although the Marcos administration has not yet entered its first year in office, criminal gangs all over the country appear to be going in a rampage where even elected government officials have become targets of violent attacks, of which the latest was the killing last March 4, 2023, of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo.

Evangelista had lamented that the PNP’s dismissal of the recent spate of violent crimes as mere “isolated incidents” does not help solve the problem (see Pinoy Exposé, March 20, 2023).

And with crime gangs now being emboldened by the perceived incompetence of the authorities, the MRPO can only advise the public, especially the Fil-Chinese community:

“Times are hard. Continue to be vigilant about your security. Most importantly, help report and cooperate with the police when crime happens.”