An anti-crime advocacy group on Monday warned that the rising number of kidnap-for-ransom cases in the Philippines poses a threat not only to public safety but also to the country's economic stability.
Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) president Arsenio Evangelista, in a television interview, said the recent uptick in kidnapping incidents could lead to “capital flight” and damage investor confidence.
“For VACC, there is a clear resurgence of kidnapping for ransom as one major crime, and also the DOJ (Department of Justice)created the Special Investigation Task Force against kidnapping — it is a clear sign that there is a substantial rise in cases of kidnapping,” he said.
Last week, the Philippine National Police (PNP) formed a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) to fast-track the investigation into the recent death of a Chinese entrepreneur, Anson Que, and his driver Armanie Pabillo.
“So, the victims here, it's a personal tragedy on their part, but this is a direct blow on our economic future. We are more worried about that and we know that when peace and order is down, there will be a capital flight amongst the businessmen,” Evangelista said.
He emphasized the need to maintain peace and order, noting that the Philippines is a tourism-driven country that relies heavily on the revenue it generates.
“Peace and order, again, is similar to national issues like food security, education, and health. All of us are affected by this,” he said.
“This is a call for the leadership to bring us back the trust and confidence of all of us — Filipino people, business sectors, and also future investors in our country,” he added.
Earlier this month, the Chinese Embassy in Manila issued an advisory for Chinese nationals here to “strengthen security precautions and emergency preparedness” amid the “unstable public security” in the Philippines.
Chinese nationals were also encouraged to “reduce unnecessary outings” and are advised to avoid crowded places as well as political gatherings.
Chinese nationals are also told to abide by local laws and regulations as well as “beware of falling into security traps and snares.”
The embassy likewise claimed that Chinese nationals and businesses have been "frequently interrogated and harassed" by Philippine authorities, adding that security risks for Chinese nationals have also risen.
Meanwhile, Evangelista said the Marcos administration should work on intelligence and anti-criminality funds.
“I feel sad for the AKG (anti-kidnapping group) unit, which is a special unit that has the skills, the training to summarize kidnapper ransom. They should provide the equipment and also funding,” he lamented.
“I have talked to their personnel. They feel frustrated because their funds were not really released. So this is a call for the Chief PNP to monitor this. Also, the designation of officers that will handle from the regional level, provincial level, district level,” he added.
Evangelista said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should treat the kidnapping incidents “as tantamount to food security, national security, education, infrastructure.”
“It goes hand in hand. As long as the peace and order is bad, tourism will fail. The economic future of our country is at stake. It is a direct attack on the economy — from tourism, we are all affected by this,” he said.
“So maybe the President should make a strong statement on this so it will be a policy. We know that when a President speaks, it becomes a policy outright,” he added.
The VACC president also suggeste that the government should revamp its resolution to the kidnapping problems in the country.
“So immediately, we need those kamay-na-bakal (iron fist) to reborn their approach, to reinvent their approach,” he said.