Casino-related kidnappings breach past year’s incidents

Cases of casino-related kidnappings from January to September this year have surpassed the number of incidents documented in 2018.

With still have three months left in 2019, police data showed there were already 28 casinorelated kidnappings as of Sept. 21, considerably higher than the 16 cases for the entire 2018, or an increase of 75 percent.

The number of victims also increased, from 17 in 2018 to 32 in 2019.

A majority of the victims are Chinese with 24, while the rest consist of four Malaysians, one Vietnamese, one South Korean, an Australian and an American. In 2018, all of the victims were Chinese.

Cases of kidnapping-for-ransom, meanwhile, went down to 25 this year compared to 46 cases in 2018.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG) director Col. Jonnel Estomo earlier attributed the increase of casino-related abductions to the influx of Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) companies.

According to Estomo, there are 56 licensed POGO companies in the country employing about 100,000 to 250,000 Chinese.

“Casino debt-related kidnappings continue to prosper because of the influx of Chinese nationals,” he said.

The upsurge of hotel and casino leisure activities has invited loan shark syndicates preying on Chinese gamblers in the country, Estomo said.

The AKG will hold a summit on casino-related kidnappings today with PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde as guest of honor and speaker.

The summit, to be held at the Novotel Manila Araneta Center in Quezon City, aims to seek measures to address the spate of casino-related kidnappings.

Officials from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Bureau of Immigration, Department of Justice, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Foreign Affairs, Anti-Money Laundering Council and local government units will also attend the event.