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Security Updates
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Kidnapping in the Philippines |
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Kidnap-for-ransom is considered to be a recurring security problem in the Philippines. Based on available data, at least 58 kidnap-for-ransom incidents affecting 103 victims were reported in 2008. These figures reflect an average of about five cases and eight victims kidnapped every month. Significantly, 27 incidents or 46 percent of the kidnappings took place in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with Sulu and Basilan posting the most number of cases. Metro Manila also reported 12 incidents during the period.
Businesspeople and ordinary residents comprised 60 percent of the reported victims. Likewise, almost 17 percent were children/students, and 23 percent were professionals/employees. The most notable case in 2008 was the kidnapping of an ABS-CBN news team in June by a local armed group in Sulu.
Many of the kidnap victims were freed or rescued after payment of ransom money. Only five victims were killed while in the hands of their captors. Ransom demands ranged from PhP100 thousand to PhP30 million, while actual settlement reportedly ranged from PhP20 thousand to PhP3 million. About 76 percent of the victims were held in captivity for an average period of five to 15 days.
Notably, 13 foreign nationals were kidnapped in various parts of the country: six Indian businessmen, three Chinese traders, two Koreans and two Canadians. All of them were safely released after ransom settlement.
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Crimes against Foreigners |
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Indian
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16
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Korean
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13
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Japanese
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11
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Swedish
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4
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American
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3
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Australian
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3
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New Zealander
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2
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Chinese
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2
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Canadian
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2
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Vietnamese
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2
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Belgian
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1
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Nigerian
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1
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British
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1
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Iranian
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1
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Taiwanese
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1
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French
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1
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Singaporean
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1
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Indians, Koreans and Japanese are the top three victims of crime among foreign nationals living and working in the Philippines in 2008. Based on information gathered from publicly-available and confidential sources, about 62 percent or 40 of the 65 foreigners who had reportedly fallen victims to crime were Indians, Koreans and Japanese. Many of them were victims of violent and heinous crimes such as murder, robbery with homicide, and kidnapping.
A significant number of the victims were foreign residents and businesspeople specifically engaged in money-lending activities. Only a few of them work as executives for business corporations.
Other foreign nationals victimized by criminals were Swedish, Americans, Australians, Vietnamese, New Zealanders, Chinese, Canadians, Nigerian, British, Iranian, Taiwanese, French and Singaporean (See Table for a complete list of victims).
Of the reported 56 crimes against foreigners, murder cases ranked first followed by robbery with homicide, kidnapping, robbery and theft, in that order. It is significant to note that many of the robberies were perpetrated while the victims were inside their homes.
Metro Manila saw the most number of crimes with the City of Manila having the most cases. Other crimes have also occurred in various parts of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
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Bombing remains a credible threat in the Philippines, particularly in some areas of Mindanao. This is primarily due to the active presence of terrorist elements and other like-minded local insurgents and lawless armed groups. In 2008, at least 84 bombings were recorded in various places in Mindanao resulting in 17 people killed and 357 individuals wounded. These incidents mostly included bomb attacks using improvised explosive devices (IEDs), fragmentation grenades and rocket-propelled grenades (RPG).
Notably, bomb attacks intensified since August 2008 when the controversial Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was not signed resulting in the resumption of sporadic armed confrontations in Central Mindanao. Areas affected by bombings were North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Zamboanga City, Lanao del Norte, Cotabato City, Sarangani, Sulu, Iligan City, and General Santos City. In December alone, at least 17 bombings took place in Mindanao.
The MILF and its rouge elements have been blamed for the series of attacks which targeted public places, government installations, transport terminals, and power facilities. More than 20 power transmission lines and sub-stations were attacked, although many of these incidents, especially during the first quarter of the year, have been attributed to extortionists.
Terrorist bombing is likely to continue in the near term, and the possibility of “spill-over” or “sympathy attacks” in areas outside Mindanao, including Metro Manila, cannot be discounted.
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Security Updates