Some things never change.The Monsoon can wreck Mindanao's rice crop,the Japanese Tsunami slash Nuclear Melt Down can reek havoc with Mindanowan exports but one industry remains immune to such vagaries.What you ask?Why of course I am talking about one of Mindanao's leading industries:KFR.KFR,or Kidnap for Ransom drives a large segment of the Central and Western Mindanowan economies.Somehow that irrefutable nugget of truth fails to comfort me.
On January 29,2011 Joel Indino Jr. was walking down Nunez Street in Zamboanga City when a green minivan pulled up along side of him.At 100PM the streets were jampacked with people and yet noone even screamed as 3 men,each holding a 45 caliber pistol got out and quickly surrounded young Mr.Indino.If the 19 year old college sophmore expected onlookers to help him he was surely disappointed.Before he could even wrap his mind around the events unfolding around him 1 of the gunmen told him in no uncertain terms that he would have to get into the van.Indino complied and the group quickly sped off.
Contacing Joel's family later that weekend the kidnappers opened negotiations by demanding P15 Million (~$320,000).When the kidnappers failed to drop the ransom quickly enough Indino's father,Joel Indino Sr.,made one of the toughest decisons of his life.As I explained in another recent KFR entry,negotiations are very fluid,with both sides knowing that the initial demand is really just a formality,sn opening gambit.Joel Sr.knew this better than most as a local politician,serving as the Barangay Chairman of Barangay Guiran in Payao,Zamboanga Sibugay Province.So,it must have been with conflicted emotions on February 7th that he phoned the Zamboamga Sibugay Provincial Police Office (PPO-Zamboanga Sibugay).The decision to do so is raising more than a few eyebrows.
KFR,as I noted at the beginning of this entry,is an unfortunately common part of life on Mindanao.As with all facts of like the authorities that be have managed to devise very specific protocols to deal with it.SOP,or Standard Operating Procedure,dictates that,just as in most any nation,the crime is centered on the point of abduction.In other words,the municipality in which the subject was kidnapped,Zamboanga City,is the municipality that serves as the investigatory focal point.If a person from Manila is kidnapped in Davao City,it is Davao City and not Manila that serves as the investigating municipality.In other words,the Zamboanga City CPO (City Police Office) is the lead agency according to SOP.
That Joel Indino Sr. called the wrong police department isn't unusual at all.Even most politicians are at a loss to name all law enforcement bodies within their own AOR (Area of Responsibility),much less understand their jurisdictional limitations and powers.Therefore,it is up to law enforcement to always follow established procedure.When Mr.Indino called PPO-Zamboanga Sibugay,its Director,Sr.Supt.Ruben D.Cariaga would normally guide the case on a parallel course to PPO-Zamboanga del Norte,the Police Provincial Office supervising the Zamboanga City CPO.His colleague at PPO-Zamboanga del Norte would then deliver it to the mayor of that municipality,Celso Lobregat.As it was,Mayor Lobregat would later offer that he was unaware that a kidnapping had even taken place.He had merely been informed that a second year student at Universidad de Zamboanga (University of Zamboanga) had gone missing.
SOP dictates that the municipality of abduction always empanels its own Task Force with the mayor automatically asssuming the role of Task Force chairman,at least on paper.In reality it is entirely dependent upon a given mayor's knowledge,ability and force of personality.As one might imagine,top tier personnel,whether in the PNP (Philippine National Police,ALL police in the Philippines are PNP) or in government are text book alpha males.Highly cpnfident to the point of arrogance and extremely territorial to boot they bristle at sublimation.Most mayors lack the neccessary qualities needed to fend off an under the table organisational coup.Once a mayor creates a task force he (or she) empanels the head of every police department within their AOR,as well as the commanding officer of the local AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) brigade (and usually the specific IB,Infantry Battalion as well).The idea of course is to launch a multi-pronged response that will block the captors movement,preventing them from taking their hostage out of the immediate area.More over,though it very rarely happens,the task force aims to interdict the captors and safely rescue the captive.This being the Philippines,it never happens.Looking back over the last decade there has only been one such attempt,involving a green SOCOM (Special Operations Command/Special Forces) element on the curious Philippine innovation known as a"Test Mission" (a unit's very first operation after training where they must make armed contact to"pass."The idea borders on the retarded since armed contact should NEVER be a goal in and of itself).The case in question involved the Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Abu Subayah and 3 of his captives:
1) American missionary slash bush pilot Martin Burnham
2) His wife,American missionary Gracia Burnham
3) Filipina nurse Ediborah Yap
Stumbling around the Zamboangan Peninsula amid reports Abu Subayah had spirited his captives across the strait from Basilan Island,the junior officer leading his newly trained men through the jungle found some recently discarded candy wrappers strewn across foot trails.In true Hansel and Gretel fashion they followed this curious trail until they heard voices.Setting up a permiter,in a torrential downpour,they waited until everybody in the small clearing was stationary and then let loose with all their considerable firepower.Among the dead guerillas,all 3 captives had been shot.Gracia Burnham alone survived with a terrible wound to the leg.Her saving grace being the initial shot that had propelled her out of her hammock and down a steep ravine.Almost all guerillas survived and escaped.
This is yet another reason why the families of hostages don't want the government coming near them during kidnappings.Since then as well,unwritten protocol has had the AFP lay unclosed perimeters so as to offer kidnappers an escape route so as to avoid a"fight to the finish."Knowing the score the kidnappers leave their quarry in an exchange of their captive for their own freedom,though it is a standard diversionary tactic independent of the proffered escape route.This scenario takes place fairly often.
With Joel Indino Sr. having notified the PPO in his home province of Zamboanga Sibugay,a task force was formed by PPO Director,Sr.Supt.Ruben D.Cariaga.Adding to the curious goings on,the make up consisted almost entirely of PPO personnel with just 1 exception.The sole"outsider"was a single officer from the Payao MPO (Municipal Police Office),Payao being the Indino's hometown.Why did this strange course of action take place?One can begin to understand when we learn who Chaired"Task Force Indino."Sr.Supt.Cariaga picked his right hand man,Supt.Geraldo Benjamin A.Avengoza.
Supt.Avengoza is a convicted murderer,or to be fair,a convicted accesory to murder.On June 05,1992 SPO1 Isgani Torrefranca Bayang and PO2 Diosdado Catacutan Esparagosa presented themselves at the Leon B.Postigo (the town was formerly known as Bacungan) MPO to take receipt of 1 prisoner for transport to the PPO for interrogation.The prisoner,Mamerto Victosa had been arrested that morning for theft.Unfortunately for the unsuccessful thief he had stolen a police officer's 38 caliber service revolver.In any such theft there is a serious chance of"reprecussions"should the thief be caught.Like all men in uniform the average police officer world over is overly attached to his weapon.More than that,having lost it to theft the officer faces serious consequences professionaly and of course loss of face amongst colleagues.Police everywhere,even more than soldiers,stand in solidarity with one another.Should you attack a family member of any police officer all other police will take your capture (at the very least) as a personal crusade.The same holds true for embarassing one of their colleagues,but how much more so when the revolver in question belonged to SPO1 Bayang himself,1 of the officers now picking up the suspect?
Leaving the MPO,prisoner in tow,the 2 officers joined their waiting superior for the long ride to PNP Camp Hamac in Dipolog City's Barangay Sicayab,the headquarters of the Zamboanga del Norte PPO.Sadly for Mr.Victosa they reached their destination without him.He was found the next day,his hands tied behind his back with 3 rounds in his chest.It didn't take long to point a finger at Officers Bayang and Catacutan,and not much longer to drag their superior into that clusterfuc* of a mess.The superior?None other than (now) Supt.Avengoza.Philippine Justice is at best a hit and miss affair.It took until 2000 to secure convictions in the case and only then because Officer Esparagosa testified against Bayang and Avengoza.Though Avengoza continued fighting the case through 2006 his sentence of 46 to 48 months has stood.Because he had been held longer than 4 years he was credited with time served and so the conviction didn't effect his freedom.In most nations a convicted murderer would be bounced from the force in disgrace.On Mindanao at least he is welcomed back with open arms and promoted to a position of command.
Supt.Avengoza was most like appointed Chairman of Task Force Indino so as to send a clear message to the kidnappers.From time to time rare personalities end up deployed to such areas,whether in the PNP or the AFP.The most successful commanders dealing with KFR are able to achieve positive results by coming across as just as ruthless as the kidnappers themselves,if not more.One memorable CO (Commanding Officer) of the 103rd Brigade in Marawi City vowed to kidnap 2 members of a KFR shotcaller's (leaders of KFR organisations) family for every civilian kidnapped by the man's group.KFR then reached an all time low for that AOR.What about in the case of Task Force Indino,did it work?Not really.Joel Indino Jr.wasn't released,negotiations were more affable but that was the jist of it.The original demand of P15 Million was however eventually reduced to slightly more than P1 Million (~$22,000).Finally,on April 16th,after 77 days in captivity,Joel was released in Sitio Tando Pataw,Barangay Poblacion in his hometown of Payao after a member of the Payao MPO deposited P1M (~$22,000) into an anonomyous bank account in an Ipil bank.Physically fine,the young man rejoined his family.
I need to add that for the last 2 years the entire Zamboangan Peninsula has had a new PNP innovation with which to counter KFRs.DIPO,or Directorate of Integrated Police Operations,is especially created to overcome jurisdictional issues and problems.I disccussed this in my most recent First Quarter of 2011 KFR entry in slightly more detail.This makes Barangay Chairman Indino's decison to utilise PPO-Zamboanga Sibugay even more curious.
On April 04,2011 13 year old Saima Amontao was walking on Lumber Street in Barangay Lower Dansalan in Marawi City.Having just left a school graduation ceremony she was now on her way to perform an errand for her mother.Passing the Reclamation Site with her friend a black van sped by before quickly backing up and stopping.The van's side door quickly opened and extended arms pulled the young girl in as her terrified friend gaped in horror.Two days later in neighbouring Lanao del Norte Province a highly shaken Saima walked into Iligan City's CPO #1 in Barangay Tambo and told an incredible story.
Miss Amontao said that after being pulled inside the van by 5 men and 1 woman she was quickly driven to Cagayan del Oro City in Misamis Oriental Province.Arriving at a 3 story home near the airport (she heard frequent flights over head) she was placed in a room guarded by armed men.With her were approximately 30 other children,mostly under 10 years of age.Unbeknownst to her captors,Manaw (Maranoan) Tribesmen,she too is a Maranaw and so was able to eavesdrop on bits and pieces of their conversation.Apparently she and the others were being held by an organised ring that provides kidneys to the black market.
I think it was about 2006 when Luzon was swept with Urban Legend SMS (Text) Messages that warned against such things.Interestingly the stories progressed to the point where dead children were being found with P50,000 (~$1,100) stuffed into their body where 1 kidney had been and then sewn up in rudimentary fashion.Then the story evolved to where eyes were being sold.A little girl was found with her eyes removed and money stuffed into her empty eye sockets.The stories were all similarly ridiculous in nature,as if such degenerates were going to throw 60,000 Pesos out with a dead body to say nothing of the fact that only live kidneys are viable.
With that said,there is indeed a black market organ trade taking place in the Philippines just as in any under developed nation.However they use very willing adults and pay them up to P250,000 for a viable kidney (~$5,000).There would be little need to assume such massive risks by kidnapping a young child.To say nothing of her claim about 30 such children...Then,Saima claimed that 1 of her guards discovered that she too was Maranaw and so aided her in escaping after two days in captivity.With the money she had when kidnapped she took a jeepney (public transportation) and inadvertantly ended up in Iligan City.
The curious part though is not that she found some support from Iligan City PNP officers,but that the local NBI Office took her story seriously enough to investigate.The NBI,or National Bureau of Investigation (akin to the American FBI) is the investigatory arm of the DOJ (Department of Justice).They are usually capable and well trained.The NBI went so far as to drive the young lady to Cagayan del Oro City and cruise the neighbourhoods near the airport in an effort to locate the home in question.I don't want to be absolutely dismissive of her story knowing quite well that people who have survived incredible ordeals quite often are brushed off as attention seekers and so on.The cases of the American serial killers John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer come quickly to mind.It took many years for authorities to see that the stories were true and by then many more had died horrible deaths.Conversely,she is 13,Maranaw and disappeared for 2 days.In her culture running away with a boy can earn her a death sentence from her own family so who can say what the poor girl has experienced.
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