COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 8, 2009) – Kidnappers released a Filipino boy after more than a week in captivity in the southern Philippines.
John Kyle Chongson, 4, was seized in Cotabato City on June 26 and free late Tuesday in Maguindanao’s Datu Odin Sinsuat town. Police tagged the Pentagon Gang as behind the kidnapping.
Police forces recovered the boy alone at a remote village after receiving information that he was freed. The boy is the son of a rice dealer.
It was unknown if ransom was paid but reports said the kidnappers originally demanded P15 million for the boy’s liberty. Police said no ransom was paid.
The Moro Islamic Liberation said it is holding one of Chiongson’s captors - Mohaimin Abo - who was said to be the mastermind of the kidnapping.
Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader, said Abo is being investigated by a rebel court for his involvement in the kidnapping. “He is currently under detention and being investigated for his role in the kidnapping of the boy,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
The military linked by the MILF to the boy’s kidnapping, but Kabalu denied his group was involved. “That’s why Abo was arrested by the MILF after we learned about his involvement,” Kabalu said.
Kabalu also admitted that Abo has a relative who are members of the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for self-determination in Mindanao.
Police also blamed the Pentagon Gang for two previous kidnappings in Cotabato City this year. (Mindanao Examiner)
Showing posts with label Pentagon Gang. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pentagon Gang. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Boy abducted in Cotabato City
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 26, 2009) – Unidentified gunmen men seized a four-year old boy in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said the boy, John Kyle Chiongson, was snatched at around 4.30 p.m. near his house. No group claimed responsibility for the abduction.
“He was abducted by four armed men who fled on a black get-away car towards Sultan Kudarat town. We have ordered check points and police and military are tracking down the abductors,” said Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.
Ponce said the gunmen could be members of a kidnap-for-ransom gang. “The abductors are believed members of a kidnap-for-ransom group,” he said.
Two previous kidnappings in Cotabato City this year had been largely blamed to the Pentagon Gang. (Mindanao Examiner)
Officials said the boy, John Kyle Chiongson, was snatched at around 4.30 p.m. near his house. No group claimed responsibility for the abduction.
“He was abducted by four armed men who fled on a black get-away car towards Sultan Kudarat town. We have ordered check points and police and military are tracking down the abductors,” said Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division.
Ponce said the gunmen could be members of a kidnap-for-ransom gang. “The abductors are believed members of a kidnap-for-ransom group,” he said.
Two previous kidnappings in Cotabato City this year had been largely blamed to the Pentagon Gang. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Kidnapped Chinese woman freed in Mindanao
MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 31, 2009) – Kidnappers freed Sunday a Chinese woman they seized in the southern Philippines after four days in captivity, officials said.
Officials said Mafin Wo, who was kidnapped May 27 in Kabacan town in North Cotabato, was released to government negotiators in the town of Pikit. It was unknown if ransom was paid, but other reports said some P13 million was allegedly paid to the kidnappers.
The military linked the Pentagon Gang in the kidnapping.
The gang was blamed for the spate of kidnappings-for-ransom in Mindanao. Other reports identified the 24-year old woman, from Fujian province, as Afen Ma.
Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the woman, whose brother-in-law runs several businesses in Kabacan, was freed at around 8.30 a.m. in the village called Bagoinged.
He also linked a senior Moro Islamic Liberation Front commander, Mayangkang Saguile, in the latest kidnapping. The woman, he said, was reunited with her anxious family and relatives waiting in Davao City.
“It was confirmed that Mayangkang Saguile, a field commander of the 105th Base Command of the MILF, is behind the abduction,” Ponce told the Mindanao Examiner, adding, Saguile is also one of the leaders of the Pentagon Gang.
The military earlier reported that Ma was kidnapped along with her Filipino companion Rochelle Amante, but the woman had escaped and reported the incident to the police.
The MILF is the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence in troubled region. (Mindanao Examiner)
Officials said Mafin Wo, who was kidnapped May 27 in Kabacan town in North Cotabato, was released to government negotiators in the town of Pikit. It was unknown if ransom was paid, but other reports said some P13 million was allegedly paid to the kidnappers.
The military linked the Pentagon Gang in the kidnapping.
The gang was blamed for the spate of kidnappings-for-ransom in Mindanao. Other reports identified the 24-year old woman, from Fujian province, as Afen Ma.
Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the woman, whose brother-in-law runs several businesses in Kabacan, was freed at around 8.30 a.m. in the village called Bagoinged.
He also linked a senior Moro Islamic Liberation Front commander, Mayangkang Saguile, in the latest kidnapping. The woman, he said, was reunited with her anxious family and relatives waiting in Davao City.
“It was confirmed that Mayangkang Saguile, a field commander of the 105th Base Command of the MILF, is behind the abduction,” Ponce told the Mindanao Examiner, adding, Saguile is also one of the leaders of the Pentagon Gang.
The military earlier reported that Ma was kidnapped along with her Filipino companion Rochelle Amante, but the woman had escaped and reported the incident to the police.
The MILF is the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence in troubled region. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Chinese national kidnapped in Southern Philippines
KABACAN, Philippines (Xinhua / May 28, 2009) - A 24-year-old Chinese national, not a Korean as reported before, was kidnapped in the southern Philippine province of North Cotabato Wednesday afternoon, officials and witnesses said on Thursday.
With the surname of Ma (not Maxine Wo as earlier reported), a woman from the Chinese mainland, was about to buy some vegetables when two gunmen abducted her, forced her into a car and ran away around 4:45 p.m. local time (0845 GMT), only a few meters away from her residence in the township of Kabacan, North Cotabato province, witness said.
A Chinese diplomat based in the central city of Cebu, whose office's jurisdiction also covers the Mindanao region, confirmed that the kidnapped victim is a Chinese from the southeastern Fujian province, hometown of the majority of the Chinese immigrants in the Philippines.
"We are coordinating with the local police to ensure the safe release of the victim," Yang Fengwu, consul with the Chinese General Consulate in Cebu, told Xinhua by phone.
Ma is a sister-in-law of a Chinese businessman who owns an ATCHAN Enterprises in Kabacan.
Pai Dumama, a worker of the ATCHAN Enterprises, told Xinhua that the victim arrived in the Southeast Asian country five months ago along with her husband as tourists.
"They have not received any threats of kidnapping before. It only happened yesterday," Dumama said.
"Until now, the kidnappers have not phoned the family," he added.
Meanwhile, a military ground official said that the kidnappers have "opened a line" for negotiation for the release of the victim.
Colonel Domingo Gobway, commander of the Philippine Army's 7th Infantry Battalion engaged in the operation against the kidnappers, said that the wife of Kabacan town Mayor George Tan, Luz, is currently negotiating with the kidnappers for the release of the Chinese national.
Local officials said the kidnappers are members of a notorious kidnap-for-ransom gang called "Pentagon".
"Ms. Tan left for nearby township of Mlang in North Cotabato to work for the release of the victim. But there's no ransom demand yet from the captors," Gobway said.
The Pentagon, blamed for at least 50 kidnapping cases in Mindanao, first gained notoriety on October 17, 2001, when it abducted Italian priest Guissepe Pierrantoni while he was officiating a Mass in Dimatali town, Zamboanga del Sur.
Pierrantoni was released on April 8, 2002, after six months in captivity.
The group also kidnapped five Chinese engineers and a Filipino guide in May 2001. Four of the Chinese engineers were killed in the crossfire during a military rescue operation sometime in June 2001. (Xinhua)
With the surname of Ma (not Maxine Wo as earlier reported), a woman from the Chinese mainland, was about to buy some vegetables when two gunmen abducted her, forced her into a car and ran away around 4:45 p.m. local time (0845 GMT), only a few meters away from her residence in the township of Kabacan, North Cotabato province, witness said.
A Chinese diplomat based in the central city of Cebu, whose office's jurisdiction also covers the Mindanao region, confirmed that the kidnapped victim is a Chinese from the southeastern Fujian province, hometown of the majority of the Chinese immigrants in the Philippines.
"We are coordinating with the local police to ensure the safe release of the victim," Yang Fengwu, consul with the Chinese General Consulate in Cebu, told Xinhua by phone.
Ma is a sister-in-law of a Chinese businessman who owns an ATCHAN Enterprises in Kabacan.
Pai Dumama, a worker of the ATCHAN Enterprises, told Xinhua that the victim arrived in the Southeast Asian country five months ago along with her husband as tourists.
"They have not received any threats of kidnapping before. It only happened yesterday," Dumama said.
"Until now, the kidnappers have not phoned the family," he added.
Meanwhile, a military ground official said that the kidnappers have "opened a line" for negotiation for the release of the victim.
Colonel Domingo Gobway, commander of the Philippine Army's 7th Infantry Battalion engaged in the operation against the kidnappers, said that the wife of Kabacan town Mayor George Tan, Luz, is currently negotiating with the kidnappers for the release of the Chinese national.
Local officials said the kidnappers are members of a notorious kidnap-for-ransom gang called "Pentagon".
"Ms. Tan left for nearby township of Mlang in North Cotabato to work for the release of the victim. But there's no ransom demand yet from the captors," Gobway said.
The Pentagon, blamed for at least 50 kidnapping cases in Mindanao, first gained notoriety on October 17, 2001, when it abducted Italian priest Guissepe Pierrantoni while he was officiating a Mass in Dimatali town, Zamboanga del Sur.
Pierrantoni was released on April 8, 2002, after six months in captivity.
The group also kidnapped five Chinese engineers and a Filipino guide in May 2001. Four of the Chinese engineers were killed in the crossfire during a military rescue operation sometime in June 2001. (Xinhua)
Security forces track down kidnapped foreigner, Filipino companion in Mindanao
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 28, 2009) – The Philippine military launched fresh operation on Thursday to track down a foreigner and her Filipino companion kidnapped in Mindanao.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division, said security forces were tracking down the victims, Mafin Wo and Rochelle Amante, who were seized late Wednesday afternoon in Kabacan town in North Cotabato.
Ponce earlier reported that only Amante was taken by gunmen, but said Wo had also been kidnapped. Wo’s family owns the Atchan Enterprises in Kabacan town.
“We have verified today that both women were kidnapped by gunmen on Wednesday and there is an operation to trace their whereabouts,” he told reporters.
He said the gang’s get-away car had been recovered, but the fate of the women were unknown.
Ponce blamed the Pentagon gang for the latest kidnappings. He said the group was involved in many kidnappings in the past and ransom could be the motive behind this latest abduction.
He said the military is verifying the nationality of Wo after receiving intelligence reports that she could either be a South Korean or a Chinese citizen. “We still don’t know and there are reports saying Wo is a Korean or Chinese,” Ponce said.
Last week, suspected Pentagon Gang members freed a kidnapped Filipino-Chinese trader Christopher Yap after her family negotiated with his captors. Yap was snatched May 7 in Maguindanao province.
In February, a Filipino-Chinese hotelier Wilson Tan and his daughter Jennifer were kidnapped and freed after four days in captivity in Maguindanao. They were kidnapped in their house in Cotabato City.
Police blamed the Pentagon Gang for the kidnapping of Tan and his daughter. The kidnappers originally demanded P10 million ransoms for the safe release of the captives. The victims’ family did not say if they paid ransoms or not.
Kidnapping-for-ransom has virtually become a lucrative business and livelihood for rebels and criminal gangs in the southern Philippines because most of their victims opted to paying ransom or risk getting killed in captivity.
On Tuesday, three school teachers kidnapped in Zamboanga City were released in Basilan province after private negotiators allegedly paid huge ransom to Moro rebels.
The trio - Quizon Freires, 28; Janette Delos Reyes, 29; and Rafael Mayonado, 24 – were kidnapped at sea on January 23 while returning by boat from a break on Sacol Island in Zamboanga City. They were brought to Basilan province where the kidnappers originally demanded P6 million ransoms and eventually lowered this to P2.5 million for their safe release. (Mindanao Examiner)
Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, a spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division, said security forces were tracking down the victims, Mafin Wo and Rochelle Amante, who were seized late Wednesday afternoon in Kabacan town in North Cotabato.
Ponce earlier reported that only Amante was taken by gunmen, but said Wo had also been kidnapped. Wo’s family owns the Atchan Enterprises in Kabacan town.
“We have verified today that both women were kidnapped by gunmen on Wednesday and there is an operation to trace their whereabouts,” he told reporters.
He said the gang’s get-away car had been recovered, but the fate of the women were unknown.
Ponce blamed the Pentagon gang for the latest kidnappings. He said the group was involved in many kidnappings in the past and ransom could be the motive behind this latest abduction.
He said the military is verifying the nationality of Wo after receiving intelligence reports that she could either be a South Korean or a Chinese citizen. “We still don’t know and there are reports saying Wo is a Korean or Chinese,” Ponce said.
Last week, suspected Pentagon Gang members freed a kidnapped Filipino-Chinese trader Christopher Yap after her family negotiated with his captors. Yap was snatched May 7 in Maguindanao province.
In February, a Filipino-Chinese hotelier Wilson Tan and his daughter Jennifer were kidnapped and freed after four days in captivity in Maguindanao. They were kidnapped in their house in Cotabato City.
Police blamed the Pentagon Gang for the kidnapping of Tan and his daughter. The kidnappers originally demanded P10 million ransoms for the safe release of the captives. The victims’ family did not say if they paid ransoms or not.
Kidnapping-for-ransom has virtually become a lucrative business and livelihood for rebels and criminal gangs in the southern Philippines because most of their victims opted to paying ransom or risk getting killed in captivity.
On Tuesday, three school teachers kidnapped in Zamboanga City were released in Basilan province after private negotiators allegedly paid huge ransom to Moro rebels.
The trio - Quizon Freires, 28; Janette Delos Reyes, 29; and Rafael Mayonado, 24 – were kidnapped at sea on January 23 while returning by boat from a break on Sacol Island in Zamboanga City. They were brought to Basilan province where the kidnappers originally demanded P6 million ransoms and eventually lowered this to P2.5 million for their safe release. (Mindanao Examiner)
Kidnappers strike anew, take woman in Mindanao
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 27, 2009) – Gunmen abducted Wednesday a woman in the southern Philippine province of North Cotabato, officials said.
Officials said Rochelle Amante, 22, was seized in Kabacan town by two armed, believed to be members of the Pentagon gang, blamed for previous kidnappings-for-ransom in Mindanao.
Amante, whose relatives are wealthy traders, was walking in downtown Kabacan when the armed seized her. They fled on a white car, the military said.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman, said ransom was probably the motive of the abduction. “The Pentagon Gang was involved in many kidnappings in the past and ransom could be the motive behind this latest abduction,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
Last week, suspected Pentagon Gang members freed a kidnapped Filipino-Chinese trader Christopher Yap after her family negotiated with his captors. Yap was snatched May 7 in Maguindanao province.
In February, a Filipino-Chinese hotelier Wilson Tan and his daughter Jennifer were kidnapped and freed after four days in captivity in Maguindanao. They were kidnapped in their house in Cotabato City.
Police blamed the Pentagon Gang for the kidnapping of Tan and his daughter.
The kidnappers originally demanded P10 million ransoms for the safe release of the captives. The victims’ family did not say if they paid ransoms or not.
Kidnapping-for-ransom has virtually become a lucrative business and livelihood for rebels and criminal gangs in the southern Philippines because most of their victims opted to paying ransom or risk getting killed in captivity.
On Tuesday, three school teachers kidnapped in Zamboanga City were released in Basilan province after private negotiators allegedly paid huge ransom to Moro rebels.
The trio - Quizon Freires, 28; Janette Delos Reyes, 29; and Rafael Mayonado, 24 – were kidnapped at sea on January 23 while returning by boat from a break on Sacol Island in Zamboanga City.
They were brought to Basilan province where the kidnappers originally demanded P6 million ransoms and eventually lowered this to P2.5 million for their safe release. (Mindanao Examiner)
Officials said Rochelle Amante, 22, was seized in Kabacan town by two armed, believed to be members of the Pentagon gang, blamed for previous kidnappings-for-ransom in Mindanao.
Amante, whose relatives are wealthy traders, was walking in downtown Kabacan when the armed seized her. They fled on a white car, the military said.
Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman, said ransom was probably the motive of the abduction. “The Pentagon Gang was involved in many kidnappings in the past and ransom could be the motive behind this latest abduction,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
Last week, suspected Pentagon Gang members freed a kidnapped Filipino-Chinese trader Christopher Yap after her family negotiated with his captors. Yap was snatched May 7 in Maguindanao province.
In February, a Filipino-Chinese hotelier Wilson Tan and his daughter Jennifer were kidnapped and freed after four days in captivity in Maguindanao. They were kidnapped in their house in Cotabato City.
Police blamed the Pentagon Gang for the kidnapping of Tan and his daughter.
The kidnappers originally demanded P10 million ransoms for the safe release of the captives. The victims’ family did not say if they paid ransoms or not.
Kidnapping-for-ransom has virtually become a lucrative business and livelihood for rebels and criminal gangs in the southern Philippines because most of their victims opted to paying ransom or risk getting killed in captivity.
On Tuesday, three school teachers kidnapped in Zamboanga City were released in Basilan province after private negotiators allegedly paid huge ransom to Moro rebels.
The trio - Quizon Freires, 28; Janette Delos Reyes, 29; and Rafael Mayonado, 24 – were kidnapped at sea on January 23 while returning by boat from a break on Sacol Island in Zamboanga City.
They were brought to Basilan province where the kidnappers originally demanded P6 million ransoms and eventually lowered this to P2.5 million for their safe release. (Mindanao Examiner)
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Kidnappers free Trader in South RP
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 14, 2009) – Kidnappers have freed a Filipino-Chinese trader after a week in captivity in the southern Philippines, police and military said Thursday.
Authorities said Christopher Yap, who was snatched May 7 in Maguindanao province, was released late Wednesday.
It was unknown if Yap’s family, paid ransom or not, but the kidnapping was blamed to either the Al-Khobar or Pentagon Gang, which had in the past seized traders and ransomed them off.
The military said four gunmen seized the 28-year old trader in the village of Limbo in the town of Sultan Kudarat. Maguindanao is one of five provinces under the restive Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)
Authorities said Christopher Yap, who was snatched May 7 in Maguindanao province, was released late Wednesday.
It was unknown if Yap’s family, paid ransom or not, but the kidnapping was blamed to either the Al-Khobar or Pentagon Gang, which had in the past seized traders and ransomed them off.
The military said four gunmen seized the 28-year old trader in the village of Limbo in the town of Sultan Kudarat. Maguindanao is one of five provinces under the restive Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Kidnappers free 2 hostages in the southern Philippines
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)