5 persons sentenced to 40 years for kidnap, slay of Taiwanese

MANILA, Philippines — A Quezon City court yesterday sentenced to 40 years in prison five persons, including four former police officers, for the kidnap-slaying of a Taiwanese businessman 14 years ago.

Former Pat. Joel Tapec, leader of the “Doce Pares” gang, and his cohorts former Pat. Alexander Pangilinan, former S/Sgts. Candido Vallejo and Allan Verana, and Ferdinand Gacusan were convicted without eligibility for parole.

Judge Janet Abergos-Samar of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 219 ordered them to pay the heirs of the victim, engineer Michael Chan, P400,000 in civil, moral and exemplary damages.

The court ordered the transfer of the accused to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

In a 63-page decision, Samar found the accused guilty of kidnapping for ransom with homicide.

Tapec and his co-accused kidnapped Chan along Katipunan Road in Quezon City on Sept. 15, 2005.

Police said the accused killed Chan and dumped his body in Antipolo City in Rizal even after the victim’s family had paid P6 million in ransom.

The accused claimed that Chan was the subject of an anti-narcotics operation.

 “Not an iota of evidence was offered by the defense to show that the kidnapping was pursuant to a legitimate police operation. There was also no directive from competent authority nor did it constitute one of the circumstances where warrantless arrest is permitted under the Rules of Court,” the ruling read.

The relatives of the accused broke down in tears when they heard the verdict. They refused to give media interviews.

Officials of the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group and Teresita Ang-See, head of the Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order, were present during the promulgation.

Police tagged Tapec as leader of the gang composed of former police officers and civilians involved in kidnapping for ransom and other illegal activities.