Kidnap for Ransom for the Fourth Quarter of 2011, Part VII: Johanna Rachel de Assis

Butuan City, in Agusan del Norte Province, is the Regional Capital of Caraga, the name attached to Region 13 to showcase that region's Bisaya character. When the Spanish first arrived on Mindanao the Karaga, a Bisaya Tribe, were the strongest tribe on Mindanao's eastern coast. When people, including- sadly, most Filipinos- think of Mindanao they picture it as being a "Muslim island" with a contentious Christian minority who are recent arrivals. In fact, when Magellan arrived and said the first Mass in the Philippines he did so on Mindanao, at Butuan. Ironic indeed. Butuanons, Suriganons, Karagons, Misami and Dapitan (Bo'ol) were all Bisaya Tribes who, unlike the Islamicised Maguindanowan (Maguindanoan) and Maranaw (Maranaon) Tribes who at best trace their known history to the 16th Centuries, the Butuanon had established an embassy in China almost 1,000 years before the first Muslim began converting Animist Tribes who would one day become the Maguindanaw, and much later the Maranaw.

Why does this matter in a KFR, or Kidnap for Ransom post? The Caraga Region of Mindanao is a very different cultural and historical landscape than the Mindanao of most people's mind's eye. KFR, endemic in Central and Western Mindanao is relatively rare in Caraga. With only two notable exceptions in the last three years the kidnappings that have taken place there have remain unpublicised (like the rash of Tsinoy KFRs in Surigao City in the 2010 Election Season) or else have not been KFR at all. Usually, paramilitary soldiers, Lumads (Animist Hilltribesmen) will take a few Government representatives at gunpoint to try and forestall an unfavourable political or judicial decision. Of the conventional KFR variety, probably the "Johnson Cuiting" KFR is the one best remembered; on Janurary 7th, 2009 Johnson Cuiting was waylaid by four masked gunmen as he and his wife Doctor Bliss Digal Cuiting entered their residential compound in Surigao City's Ceniza Heights sub-division. Forcing the Cuitings into their home where two Patient Care Attendants were tending to his elderly and infirm mother Candida Custodio Cuiting, two of the Tagalog speaking gunmen began rifling the home, looking for valuables while a third trained his 45 caliber pistol on the four people in the home's "sala," or living room. The fourth man had divested Mr.Cuiting of his car keys and was outside having started Cuiting's white Toyota Hi-Lux pickup truck.

Having found P500,000 ($12,000) in jewlery and roughly P400,000 ($9,500) in cash (plus assirted cell phones and Johnson's 40 caliber pistol) the two men searching the home re-entered the sala and told the gunmen guarding the "captives" that it was time to go. Ordering Mr.Cuiting outside the house as the two Patient Care Attendants tried to retain their composure (the elder Mrs. Cuiting was 89 years old and perhaps fortunately was senile). Their quarry now inside his own pickup truck the gunmen joined him as they left the Cuiting compound and drove off into the night.

Quickly, Mr.Cuiting's sister Josefa "Sef" Cuiting Lam flew into Butuan Airport from her home in Hong Kong. As the eldest sibling she felt it was her duty to handle the crisis. This traditional outlook didn't sit well with Mr.Cuiting's wife who felt shunted aside and ignored in the subsequent proceedings. KFR being extremely rare in the region and the kidnapping having been witnessed by the two Patient Care Attendants it was only a matter of time before the world at large found out about the incident. Taking a proactive stance eldest sister Josefa contacted the PPO, or Police Provincial Office and confirmed what the department already knew but made it quite clear that the police would not be needed and that the family would still keep the department appraised of events as they unfolded.

Johnsing Cuiting served as the President of Rural Bank of Placer, a Surigao del Norte financial institution founded by family matriarch Candida Custodio Cuiting, Johnson's mother. Very wealthy, the Tsinoy, or Filipino of Chinese descent was very well known within both the Tsinoy and business communities in Caraga but still, KFR being almost unheard of, tongues didn't take long to start wagging. As progress in ransom negotiations hit an impasse the kidnappers suddenly broke all contact, or so almost everyone thought. When Josefa, who had assumed the lead negotiating role began whittling down the kidnappers' opening gambit of P10 Million ($240,000) the kidnappers' phone calls suddenly stopped, on Janurary 21st, twelve days after the kidnapping. When Josefa tried contacting the kidnappers at the one phone number she had been given, that of Johnson's own cellphone, she found that the number was no longer in service. Greatly alarmed, Josefa's trepidation would be nothing like the angst she experienced months later when the true circumstances of the phone number being disconnected came to light.

At this point Josefa pulled out all the stops and gathered P6 Million ($140,000), the last ransom demand, using P3 Million of her own money, and let it be known that the family had decided to give in to that last ransom demand. Unfortunately for the Cuiting Family no contact has ever been re-initiated. Conventional wisdom dictates that Johnson Cuiting was done in by his own family. In-fighting over familial roles in Rural Bank and general anomosity towards Mr.Cuiting's wife, Doctor Bliss Digal Cuiting are believed to have led to an inside job. In investigating the mysterious disconnection of Johnson Cuiting's own cellphone Josefa's security consultants discovered a curious, and VERY alarming twist. The cellular account, with the Philippine carrier Globe, had been intentionally disconnected five days after the kidnapping by none other than Johnson's own wife, Doctor Bliss. Moreover, not only would Bliss not reveal her reasons in cutting all contact with her husbands' kidnappers, neither would she explain just why she had never admitted having had it disconnected in the first place. Naturally, when the phone was suddenly cut off five days into the kidnapping it drove the family crazy and yet Bliss never said a word, acting just as perplexed as the rest. Some have reasoned that perhaps she did it just to spite Josefa who had elbowed her out of the lead role as the family representative but that doesn't go far in rationalising just why she would remove her husband's only real chance at release. In cutting off that phone she very well may have been signing Johnson Cuiting's death warrant. An even stranger consideration was then brought to light, one that had slipped right past most family members.

Hours after being kidnapped Johnson was permitted to contact a family member to initiate the ransom negotiation process. Knowing that his wife had been in the house, wouldn't Johnson be concerned for her welfare first and contact her? Wouldn't he want his wife making preparations for a ransom since she was the person obstensibly closest to him? Instead Johnson called his sister Josefa in Hong Kong. When the news that Johnson's wife had inexplicably shut Johnson's cellular phone service off came to light people then recalled that Johnson hadn't called his wife. Indeed, after phoning Josefa, Johnson then called his driver, "Dondong," and instructed him to proceed to Surigao City's Barangay Silot to retrieve his Toyota Hi Lux. Having enough fore thought and presence of mind to even call his driver over his pickup truck and still NOT placing a call to his own wife? To say that the circumstances set off alarm bells is to seriously understate the gravity of the situation.

Then, a curious case of turf battling slash infighting took place within the PNP (Philippine National Police). Above CPOs and MPOs (City Police Offices and Municipal Police Offices) are the PPO, or Police Provincial Office. Above the PPO is the PRO, or Police Regional Office. The Surigao del Norte PPO Director at the time, Superintendent David Yolang Ombao became convinced relatively early on that the kidnapping of Johnson Cuiting was tied into PRO-13, or the Police Regional Office for Region 13, aka "Caraga." PRO-13 is technically Ombao's immediate superior. All determinations on such a high profile case are at least rubber stamped by PRO-13 but in this case Director Ombao refused to pass even a single photocopy to PRP and its directly subservient bureaus, such as CIDG-13 (Criminal Investigations and Detection Group for Region 13). Instead, Ombao passed them directly on to PACER, or the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response entity. The preceding seems like a lot of yawn inducing mumbo jumo to most readers, I know, but it says a whole lot about the serious implications related to this kidnapping and by now, certainly a murder as well.

While there are clear indications as to WHO perpetrated the kidnapping slash murder, why Mr.Cuiting was killed, or perhaps why he was killed so soon however remains unknown. Most police working on the case conjecture that Mr.Cuiting had let his captors know that he had surmised familial involvement in his kidnapping. Then, fearful of the ramifications his "loved one(s)" had him killed. Josefa made it a point to bring in extra security consultants to try and "solve" the whole sordid affair but again, nothing of import has ever come to the surface. The particular family member certainly seems to be the wife, obstensibly the widow, Doctor Bliss. Less than a month after her husband's disappearance Bliss moved to have herself named OIC (Officer in Charge) at Rural Bank, thereby assuming her husbands duties as President. At the same time, one of Johnsons five sisters, Nenita "Nitz" Cuiting Carvajal moved to have herself named instead. Interestingly, Nenita's own husband, Jose Antonio "Tonette" Carvajal was murdered outside their front door, as was his brother who had been leading the investigation into Tonette's death. Dr.Bliss and her camp claim that it was Nenita who had both killed, ergo Nenita who had Johnson killed in a power play for Rural Bank. A regular soap opera as one can plainly see.

So, even when a KFR takes place in Caraga it is usually not the conventional KFR one finds in the rest of the island. Indeed the case I am concentrating on in this entry is also believed to have been an inside job. At 1AM on Wednesday, October 19th, 2011, Percy De Assis and her 14 year old daughter Johanna Rachel De Assis were asleep in their home in the Emily Homes sub-division in Butuan City's Barangay Libertad when a single masked gunmen kicked in their front door. Startling mother and daughter out of their deep sleep he marched both into the home's sala and demanded P20,000 ($420) that he claimed was "owed" to him. As the gunman rambled on almost incoherently he impetuously waved a 38 caliber revolver as he grew more and more irate. Suprisingly Percy De Assis raised her own voice and told the gunman that he wouldn't be getting a single centavo. Grabbing Johanna Rachel he told Ms.De Assis that he would be calling her in the morning to collect his money. Taking Percy's Toyota Corolla the gunman, Rachel in tow, now became a kidnapper as well as he sped off into the night with his captive.

Having been notified by the De Assis' maid the Butuan City CPO (City Police Office) dispatched officers from Police Station #3 to the family home as Percy admitted that indeed she did know the identity of the kidnapper despite his having worn a "bonnet," as skimasks are locally known. He was a recently released employee of the De Assis' owned medical supply and generic pharmaceutical distributorship. Because the man had been fired for a range of offences he wasn't entitled to the usual severance package. The denial of P20,000 in cash may have cost her 14 year old daighter her life. Ms.De Assis thanked the police for their prompt attention but told them that she preferred to simply pay off the employee and quickly secure the safe return of her daughter.

Just after 7AM Percy De Assis received a phone call from the ex-employee in which he quickly passed the phone to Rachel in an impromptu POL, or Peoof of Life, a standard facet in KFR in which kidnappers provide proof that theit captive is still alive. Quickly Ms.De Assis told the man that she would pay the man his P20,000 to gain the safe release of her daughter. Angrily the man informed Percy that his price had gone up commensurate to the increased seriousness of the situation. Ms.De Assis interjected that all she could possibly do is provide P100,000 ($2,100), anything else would take at least a few days. After a few moments of silence the gunman agreed and directed Percy to deliver the cash in a sealed plastic bag on the side of National Hiway in the nearby barangay of Bancasi. After he had retrieved the cash he would inform her of her daughter's whereabouts so that she could safely retrieve Johanna Rachel.

After convincing the incredulous police that she must do the ransom delivery on her own and without any police backup she proceeded to Barangay Bancasi and as instructed left the cash on the side of National Hiway before quickly driving away. Despite Percy's insistence the police HAD followed her and were watching in binoculars as the gunman approached the drop off site on foot and retrieved the bag. Quickly the police arrested the man and after some on the spot interrogation, I mean torture, I mean interrogation the hapless ex-employee revealed that he had left Johanna Rachel De Assis in the Chinese Cemetery in that same barangay, Bancasi. Retrieving the frightened victim they delivered Johanna Rachel to her mother although they only informed Ms.De Assis that they had discovered the girl by chance and still haven't located the kidnapper or the P100,000. The money of course became a gratuity and the hapless kidnapper became crocodile food and so another sordid Mindanowan kidnapping came to an end. All in all 14 year old Rachel, a first year student in Father Saturnino Urios College fared rather well and aside from missing a day of school is well on her way to forgetting the whole ordeal.