PNP: Dennis Roldan guilty verdict ‘a big boost’ for anti-kidnapping efforts

The conviction of actor and former Quezon City congressman Dennis Roldan is a "big boost" for the police's anti-kidnapping efforts, the Philippine National Police said Wednesday.

The verdict on Roldan—who was found guilty for abducting a three-year-old boy in 2005—is "really a big boost to our operations," said PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG) spokesperson Chief Inspector Rosel Cejas.

"This serves as an inspiration for us not only to double our efforts in the campaign against kidnap-for-ransom, but also in building a case," he said.

The latest ruling also showed the strong ties between the police and the court, Cejas added.

Statistics from the AKG show that 18 kidnap-for-ransom cases were recorded in Luzon from January to August this year, one case more than the same period in 2013, but with 22 victims involved compared to last year's 25.

According to PNP chief public information officer Chief Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac, the AKG has solved a total of 20 cases in the last two years, with 13 other cases still ongoing.

The figures, however, cover only Luzon, since there are no reported cases in Visayas, Sindac said, adding that cases in Mindanao are classified under terrorism because they are usually the workings of the Abu Sayyaf Group.

Kidnap-for-ransom activities were considered by the government a big problem from the late 1990s to early 2000s, with some cases leading to the killing of the victims. Chinese-Filipinos, largely perceived to be wealthier, were the common targets of syndicates.

In 2005, former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo created the National Anti-Crime Task Force (Nactaf) to coordinate strategies of different task forces, including the Presidential Anti-organized Crime and Emergency Response (PACER), to combat major crimes including kidnap-for-ransom. — Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/BM, GMA News