EDITORIAL - Tokhang for ransom

With police allowed to do pretty much what they please and accountability flushed down the drain, abuses in the ongoing brutal drug war are inevitable. Now the Senate is reportedly set to conduct a probe into the use of Oplan Tokhang for kidnapping and extortion.

The probe was prompted by the kidnapping of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo at his home in Angeles City, Pampanga in October last year by police who claimed to be conducting Oplan Tokhang in the neighborhood. Jee’s wife said she paid P5 million to the kidnappers, but her husband was reportedly strangled to death on the day of his kidnapping and his body cremated on orders of the “boss” of the operation. Reports said the ashes were then flushed down the toilet of a funeral parlor owned by policeman-turned-barangay captain Ding Santiago.

The suspected mastermind, Senior Police Officer 3 Ricky Sta. Isabel, recently surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation. Probers said he enjoyed protection from a retired police general. Yesterday, three more police officers were implicated in the kidnapping.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who is preparing to conduct an inquiry into the so-called Tokhang for ransom, said someone he knew was also kidnapped in Bulacan by police conducting Oplan Tokhang. Lacson said the victim was freed after ransom was paid.

As the nation continues to see in Mindanao, kidnapping for ransom can be a hugely profitable business in this country. The scourge has popped up periodically in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces, ending only when the government shows ruthless determination to eliminate kidnapping rings. Each successful caper breeds impunity and guarantees more kidnappings.

Among the boldest thugs are rogue cops – those who participate directly in seizing captives and those who provide protection for the kidnapping rings. Sta. Isabel, who has denied the allegations against him, is not the first policeman to be implicated in kidnapping for ransom.

Tokhang for ransom can only erode the credibility of the war on drugs, which is controversial enough. This problem must be nipped in the bud quickly. Solving the case of Jee Ick-joo would be a good start.