MANILA: President Gloria Arroyo publicly paraded one of the Philippines’ most wanted kidnappers yesterday after his capture by an elite task force.
Teddy Padre, who had a 500,000-peso ($8,900) bounty on his head for allegedly masterminding the March 2003 abduction of a businesswoman who later escaped, was arrested on Monday in a northern Manila suburb.
Arroyo, who presented the handcuffed Padre to the Press, has been trying to highlight her anti-crime record ahead of a May 10 presidential vote, in which she is seeking a fresh six-year term.
She said 71 kidnap gang members had now been arrested or killed since she ordered a massive crackdown in October and the creation of the anti-kidnapping team. Nine of those were killed while resisting arrest.
The task force was tipped off to Padre’s whereabouts by a concerned civilian who saw him on a list of most wanted criminals aired on state television, Arroyo added.
“It’s a dedicated manhunt. What’s good here is the strong support of the community in providing tips and information to authorities,” Arroyo said.
Kidnappings rose to a 10-year high in 2003, with at least one victim every three days, an independent crime monitoring group said.
A series of high-profile kidnapping cases also forced Arroyo to lift a four-year moratorium on capital punishment.
Arroyo also said yesterday that the US government had officially thanked her and the Filipino police for freeing US businessman Joseph Onglingswan, who was held in chains for over three weeks.
The 35-year-old victim was found in the home of Hong Kong native George Yao, a resident of Bacoor, who was arrested and confessed to taking part in the 2001 kidnapping of a Briton.
“In fact, (US Secretary of State) Colin Powell called me up to congratulate you (the police) and to thank us,” Arroyo said.
Onglingswan, a Los Angeles resident, arrived in the Philippines last month to look into the possibility of investing in an information technology venture.
On February 13 Arroyo and anti-kidnapping chief Angelo Reyes paraded another alleged kidnapper, Arnel Suellen, who was at number 17 on the “most wanted” list. – AFP


photo;President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo presents an alleged kidnapper Teddy Padre yesterday. – AP
Last update on: 18-2-2004