Ben Madilynn
TWO Chinese businessmen were abducted and were later found dead in Camarines Sur.
In a phone interview with reporters on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief of the Public Information Office (PIO) Jean Fajardo said the Chinese and Chinese-American nationals arrived in Manila on June 20 for a supposed business transaction.
“Subalit, pagdating nila sa ating airport ay may sumundo sa kanila at nung araw na yun ay nakakausap pa nung pamilya, particularly ‘yung asawa ng isa sa biktima subalit nung papagabi ay nawalan na ng contact,” she said.
(But, when they arrived at our airport, someone picked them up, and that day, the family, particularly the spouse of one of the victims, was still able to talk to them. However, as evening approached, they lost contact.)
On June 21, the kidnappers demanded 5 million Chinese Yuan or over P40 million, which after negotiations was brought down to 3 million Chinese Yuan or more than P24 million.
After getting the ransom money, the kidnappers no longer contacted the families of the victims, which prompted them to seek the help of authorities through the Chinese embassy in Manila.
“Nagsagawa ng investigation ang AKG (Anti-kidnapping Group) then noong June 24 ay naka-receive sila ng information sa provincial director ng Camarines Sur informing them na may dalawang found dead body doon sa Camarines Sur. So immediately ay nakipag ugnayan ‘yung AKG sa family ng dalawang biktima at noong June 28 ay tumungo sila sa Camarines Sur at positively inidentify ng mga kaanak ‘yung mga biktima,” said Fajardo.
(The AKG conducted an investigation, and on June 24, they received information from the provincial director of Camarines Sur informing them that two dead bodies had been found in Camarines Sur. The AKG immediately coordinated with the families of the two victims, and on June 28, the relatives went to Camarines Sur and positively identified the victims.)
“Ang AKG already took cognizance of the case after makipag ugnayan sa atin ‘yung embahada ng China through the consul at ngayon ay hawak na ng AKG itong kaso na ito at meron na silang tinututukan na mga persons of interest, pero hindi pa tayo puwedeng makapagbigay ng detalye para hindi maprrempt yung ongoing investigation,” she added.
(The AKG already took cognizance of the case after the Chinese embassy, through the consul, coordinated with us. The AKG is now handling this case and is focusing on several persons of interest. However, we cannot provide details yet to avoid preempting the ongoing investigation.)
In a statement, Major Michael Albania, Sagnay Municipal Police Station chief of police, said the remains of the victims, wrapped in a blanket without any identification, were found in a remote area in Sition Rawis in Barangay Patitinan in the said town.
Fajardo said the AKG is looking into those whom the victims were supposed to meet as well as those who fetched them from the airport.
One of the victims was identified as Xia Ke Fu, 39, a marketing director at Suzhou RainMed Medical Technology and an alumnus of Hunan City University.
In a statement, the Chinese embassy in Manila urged Philippine authorities to intensify efforts in handling the case, and to arrest and severely punish the suspects as soon as possible.
It also reminded Chinese citizens in the Philippines to be vigilant and aware of security precautions. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)
