Of all Mindanowan locales Davao City is perhaps the one place alone that is absolutely immune from KFR (Kidnap for Ransom). The island's largest city is ruled by local warlord Rodrigo "Roddy" Duterte who because of a 9 year Term Limit had to step down as mayor in the last election in May of 2010. Currently sitting as the city's Vice Mayor his daughter Sarah Duterte Carpio graciously agreed to keep the Mayoral throne warm for Big Daddy as he sits out the mandatory 3 year cooling off period. Still, no local observer ever doubts who is in charge.
Though having a violent warlord as mayor definitely has its negative consequences...say the Extra-Judicial Execution of 12 year old glue addicts...it also has some very real and tangible benefits. One such benefit is the city's de facto neutral status vis a vis the many insurgencies wracking our beautiful island. Davao City is the only municipality on Mindanao where one finds NPA Committee Secretaries hobknobbing with MNLF Kumanders as the latter chat amicably with counterparts from the MILF, all without a hassle from the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and the PNP (Philippine National Police). The unusual situation also extends into other spheres...like KFR (Kidnap for Ransom). While KFR is off the charts in four neighbouring regions it is all but unheard of in Davao del Sur Province, Duterte's influence obviously extending past his city's boundries. Foreigners in Davao City don't think twice in terms of personal safety. This in turn leads to beaucoup investment and so Duterte shows us that indeed there is a certain method to his violent madness.
In fact, Duterte's influence is seen as so all pervasive that any reported KFR within the city limits is almost always dismissed out of hand even before a cursory investigation is performed. This condescending attitude is what led a local woman into a shi*storm of controversy recently.
Catherine Graciela Manalo, a registered nurse from the town of San Pablo in Laguna Province on Luzon walked into a Davao City CPO (City Police Office) Santa Ana Station very early Monday morning, May 23rd, 2011, and told a fantastic tale. She reported that she had been party to a large group that included 2 of her brothers:
1) Alexander Ulysis Manalo
2) Benjamin Gabriel Manalo
their girlfriends:
1) Ellaine Fidez Mondejar
2) Bella Marie Labastida
and more importantly for Philippine authorities,2 foreigners:
1) Marco Bennet
2) Graham Walker
both British subjects. Ms.Manalo related that the group had been staying at the city's Grand Regal Hotel before recently transferring to the Pinnacle Hotel, also in the city, on Santa Ana Avenue but that late the evening before, Sunday May 22nd, a man known only as "Remy" had picked the entire group up in a van and transferred them en masse to the Apo View Hotel, also in Davao City. She told police officers that after the group had left the Pinnacle Hotel she had seen them at the popular downtown eatery, "Shakeys" on Governor Duterte Street (named after Vice Mayor Duterte's late father,warlord #1). According to Ms.Manalo Remy had driven them there as a group. Leaving early Ms.Manalo decided to return to her room in a local boarding house on the corner of Gempesaw and Juan Luna Streets.
While retiring in her room Ms.Manalo said she received an SMS (Text) from one of her brothers that simply said,"SOS."Not long after that strange SMS she received a phone call in which the caller demanded a P20 Million ransom (US460,000).At her landlord's insistence she then made her way to the CPO and reported the"crime."
Immediately the Davao City PNP checked with the registars of all three hotels:
1) Grand Regal
2) Pinnacle
3) Apo View
and found that none of the hotels had registered any of the six names Ms.Manalo had provided. More over, none had recently registered any British men. Next the PNP contacted the BID (Bureau of Immigration and Detention, known usually as the"BI") and found that no British men with those names had entered the Philippines, EVER. They then began interrogating the complaintant a tad bit more aggressively. Calling the cellphone numbers of the victims they found that none were working. Trying to bolster her own credibility Ms.Manalo provided 3 photographs of the victims. One of the pictures appeared to have been a still shot from a Hollywood film. By now the CPO was sure that Ms.Manalo had made the whole thing up but they couldn't understand why she would do such a thing. In seeking answers they went to the boarding house and interviewed the owner,Ms.Manalo's landlord.Apparently Ms.Manalo had arrived in Davao City sometime in mid-2010 and had sought to rent a room in that particular boarding house despite her having no money.She had told the landlord that she had come south to await the imminent arrival of a sister who had been working in Canada.She vowed to pay for her room and board as soon as her sister arrived from abroad.Such stories are common enough and so the landlord consented but the"few days"turned into 11 months and so Ms.Manalo's subterfuge became more and more complicated as she sought ways in which to avoid the inevitable"paying the piper."
Finally,on Sunday, May 22nd, 2011 Ms.Manalo's story evolved into the KFR Plot. Having had enough the landlord told Ms.Manalo that she better come up with something concrete to prove her excuse or else she would be reported for fraud.When the story hit the media it turned out that Ms.Manalo was actually named Minelda Que and was not from Luzon but was in fact a local woman.She had reportedly ran out on a string of similar frauds totalling P400,000 (almost US9,000).Ms.Manalo/Que's latest caper carries a fine of P200 (US4.80,that's right,less than 5 US Dollars) and up to 6 months in jail. Realising that the gig was up the forlorn woman admitted to having manufactured the tale in an attempt to avoid Fraud charges over her debt to her landlady.
In fact the sad tale brings to mind the last faked KFR out of Davao City. In early June of 2010 30 year old German citizen Fier Medricat got into a huge row with his father Ralph Medricat. Fier, a Vetinary Assistant had come to Mindanao to try and patch up his spotty relationship with his father.The elder man had been living in Pagadian City with his young Filipina girlfriend, Magdalena Morales. From the start Fier's presence had led to knoch down,drag em' out fights.
Thinking that Fier might calm down a bit if he had a girlfriend of his own Magdalena invited her niece over for a couple of days.Teenaged Crystal Morales Villamor was a native of Toril District in Davao City and had never managed to travel out of her province,Davao del Sur.Arriving in Pagadian City she and Fier got along great and for a few days everybody was happy. When Crystal had to return home though Fier was beside himself.Almost immediately he made plans to take a trip himself and to visit Crystal in Davao City.Worried about his son's safety Ralph forbade it and threatened to make his son return home to Germany.
On June 18th Fier went for broke. Taking a bus he made his way down to Davao.Nearing the city he told a shocked Crystal that he was in Davao City and was coming to see her.A shocked but flattered Crystal gave him directions to Toril District and told him she would be waiting for him. Having taken a jeepney (ubiqitous form of public transportation in the Philippines) to the outlying district of Toril Fier found himself wandering its isolated dirt roads searching for Crystal's Barangay Catigan.
Toril District is 1 of 4 Davao City districts controlled by the NPA, or Maoist New Peoples Army. As ground zero of the Maoist Insurgency it is not a place that sees a lot of wandering foreigners. Were it a pacified area there would still be a rush of attention. As it was absolutely all eyes were riveted on our would be Lothario.Soon 3 teenaged boys came along side and finding that Fier was lost they volunteered to"help"him find his girlfriend's home.Before long,with the 3 teens leading him, Fier was far off the beaten path and well beyond any any chance of genuine help.One of the helpful teens volunteered that the home of his aunt was nearby and that they ought to take shelter there for the evening lest they endanger themselves trying to navigate narrow mountain trails during the thick of the night.Fier had to admit that the suggestion made a whole lot of sense and so it was that his new found"friends"led him to the home of a woman introduced to him as"Mama."
After they ate a small meal of boiled white rice and ampalaya (bitter squash) his new friends began asking him what he was carrying in his fanny pack. Innocently Fier showed them,it was P5,600 (US150).Suddenly his friends stopped talking English and their demeanour changed from friendly to frightening and they grabbed the money.As Fier complained that that was he had and that he needed it for his return to Pagadian City he was told that he was being kidnapped by the NPA.He was then instructed to notify his girlfriend and to tell her to arrange for his ransom.Three days later his father's girlfriend, Magdalena Morales, reported the kidnapping to the Davao City CPO.
This was Fier's account. However the reality was quite different. By June 22nd the Davao City CPO had uncovered a plot by Fier to stick it to his hapless father. He was attenpting to get his father to pony up P500,000 (US11,000) so that he and his young girlfriend Crystal could make a life of their own.After some very high ranking CPO Officers convinced him to reconsider he made his way back to Pagadian City when one hoped that his father gave him the once over.
Of course the Philippine Media was clueless and reported on July 10th of that year,2010,that young Fier had just been released in Pagadian City.
Speaking of silly Germans in Davao, Ms.Manalo's decision to involve the Apo View Hotel in her scheme brings to mind yet another KFR case tied to Davao City.On May 31st, 2007, German citizen Thomas Wallraf hired a van and along with his girlfriend, Sharon Mae Jackson, a Filipina and 2 Indian nationals left the Apo View Hotel for a long drive to the town of Pikit in North Cotabato Province. The group was en route to meet a man with whom Wallraf had been communicating online.
As I have noted in a recent KFR entry on an American victim who had arrived on Mindanao in hopes of striking it rich,Treasure Hunting attracts A LOT of foreigners and even a smattering of ignorant locals. Thomas Wallraf, 44, was hoping to uncover a valuable cachet of nickel babbit. Thinking he had hit the motherlode he piled in the van with his lifesavings and drove to Pikit's Barangay Batulawan.Upon arriving at the designated location he was greeted by 9 MNLF/BMA (Moro National Liberation Force/Bangsamoro Army) guerillas. Led by Kumander Datucan Samad the guerillas hogtied and gagged their captives and tied each one to the back of an off road motorcycle.
Leaving the clearing in Barangay Bantulawan the group drove to Barangay Balongis where they crossed into an MILF/BIAF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front/Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces) AOR (Area of Responsibility,meaning Area of Operation).The BIAF, under Kumander Moti of the 106 Base Command then ordered the MNLF/BMA to turn the captives over to the BIAF,since foreign captives generate huge ransoms. The MNLF/BMA balked until the BIAF fired a single RPG round right next to MNLF Kumander Datucan Samad's head. The MILF/BIAF then took custody of the 4 captives and withdrew to the 106 Base Command Camp in the municipality of Parang, across the provincial border in Maguindanao. By the afternoon of June 1st, 24 hours after the MILF/BIAF forced the MNLF/BMA into surrendering the victims,the MILF leadership ordered the BIAF to release the captives to the IMT (International Monitoring Team, a Malaysian led force made up of personnel from Brunei, Libya and Japan at that point, tasked with helping to investigate any alleged Ceasefire violations by the MILF/BIAF and the GPH).
Interestingly it was depicted as a BIAF rescue from "cattle rustling gun runners" with the MILF scrambling a BIAF force to chase after the criminals who had kidnapped the group.In reality the BIAF 106 Base Command wanted to earn some money but the GPH-MILF Peace Process was starting up again and the MILF Central Committee couldn't stand to have something weaken their hand or even scuttle the Talks in their entierty. After the 106 Base Command captured the 4 victims and word reached Camp Darapanan (MILF General Headquarters) just down the road the MILF leadership moved to turn a negative into a positive.
I should add that on June 24th, 2008, Kumander Datucan Samad was arrested for this kidnapping. Based upon a warrant issued by the RTC (Regional Trial Court) in Pikit, North Cotabato Province. Taken into custody in the municipality of Malabang in Lanao del Sur Province but released exactly 1 week later. Why? Lack of Evidence. The only other person ever brought to justice was Samad's #2 man,22 year old Saludin Lampangan of Pikit's Barangay Gocotan. On July 8th, 2008zn just 8 days after Samad's aforementioned release, the Chief of Police in Pikit (Sr.Inspector Elias Dandan) saw Lampangan casually sauntering up to a group of youth in the town plaza. The Chief of Police called in the AFP for backup and when the reinforcements arrived took the suspect into custody.He too was released for Lack of Evidence.
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