Fil-Chinese boy, 11, kidnapped in Tondo

Five heavily armed men shot and wounded six people before brazenly snatching an 11-year-old boy in Tondo, Manila yesterday.

Initial reports said two of the kidnappers forcibly dragged the victim from his nanny while one of the suspects fired an AR-15 "Baby Armalite" rifle, wounding two responding security guards and four bystanders in the daytime kidnapping.

Police withheld the victim’s identity for security reasons, saying only that he was snatched just after emerging from the Rich Town Tower on Mayhaligue street in Tondo while on his way to school.

Witnesses said they earlier saw a Toyota Lite Ace van with license plates TAH-598 parked across the street with its engine idling.

Shortly after, witnesses saw the victim emerge from the Rich Town Tower and cross the street on his way to the nearby St. Stephen School.

Three men immediately alighted from the van and grabbed the boy from his nanny before spiriting him away to the parked vehicle. One of the suspects fired his gun to scare off bystanders and hit two security guards and four other people, witnesses said.

The wounded guards were identified as Joel Boneyo and Erwin Guevarra.

Police said one of the bystanders is now in critical condition. He was identified as Cesar Chen, 41, a Chinese-Filipino businessman.

Chen was driving his Highlander van when he was hit in the chest and abdomen, police said.

The three others were identified as Mario Michael Uy, 37, of Caloocan City; Uy’s housemaid Jenevie Magbanua, 20; and Chen’s 11-year-old daughter Abigail, a Grade 5 pupil at St. Stephen.

Witnesses, on the other hand, described one of the kidnappers as being in his early thirties and about 5’4" tall. They said the faces of the other suspects were concealed by improvised cloth masks.

Manila Police District (MPD) investigator Senior Police Officer 4 Fernando de la Cruz said they are looking into reports that the victim himself might also have been wounded. The boy’s brother was also present during the abduction, but he was not taken, De la Cruz said. It was unclear if he was hurt.

Police have launched a manhunt for the kidnappers as the Philippine National Police, the PNP’s Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER) and the National Anti-Kidnapping Task Force (NAKTAF) refused to reveal other details, stressing the victim’s life may be endangered.

"We could not give information to you. This is a live case and revealing information could risk the life of the boy," said PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil.

PNP chief Director General Arturo Lomibao issued a statement ordering his men to take immediate action.

"Rest assured the PNP will waste no time to solve the case at the soonest possible time. We will do everything possible to prevent a similar incident from happening," Lomibao said.

Lomibao also begged off from giving details of the kidnapping, citing security risks.

"I beg your indulgence that I cannot divulge further details of the incident, because we are dealing here with a live kidnapping case and the safety of the victim is paramount among our concerns," Lomibao said.

The incident came weeks after President Arroyo declared in her State of the Nation Address (SONA) that kidnappings in the country had been eliminated.

Citizens Action Against Crime president Teresita Ang-See, however, said kidnapping cases have actually risen in the last few months.

Ang-See claimed at least six kidnappings occurred since June and this was the first in Chinatown in months.

Authorities said about six kidnap-for-ransom gangs still operate in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. The kidnap syndicates usually include former policemen and soldiers who mostly target wealthy Chinese-Filipinos.

Ang-See noted yesterday’s kidnapping took place in the very busy corner streets of Masangkay and Mayhaligue in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

"We didn’t expect this to happen. Buhol-buhol ang traffic dyan at sobrang dami ng tao at parang imposible na magkaroon ng kidnapping (Traffic is monstrous in the area, which is also crowded, so we thought no kidnapping could take place here)," Ang-See told The STAR.

Ang-See claimed the area had been notorious for muggings and other petty crimes, which prompted her to seek help from MPD director Chief Superintendent Pedro Bulaong to deploy more policemen.

For a while, there were uniformed policemen seen in the area which was said to decrease petty theft and crime.

"I even approached the policemen and commended them. Apparently the police visibility has not been sustained, allowing the criminals to abduct the boy," she said.

Manila Mayor Lito Atienza said he had instructed Bulaong to give the case his full attention.

"I told General Bulaong to solve the case and to get the people behind this, for the police to do right thing and to make sure that the child is safe," he said. — With Evelyn Macairan, AFP