Pol faces probe for ‘coddling kidnapper’

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Police are set to investigate a politician for allegedly coddling an arrested kidnap-for-ransom syndicate member in Urbiztondo town.

Gov. Amado Espino Jr. ordered the probe saying there should be no sacred cows in the drive against criminality.

Senior Supt. Isagani Nerez, provincial police director, bared the governor’s order in a press conference Wednesday where he presented the arrested suspect, Ronald Quitaleg Pidlaoan, 36, alias Buddha.

Pidlaoan, who is believed to have been used as gun-for-hire by certain influential people, was arrested by a police team Aug. 16 in Barangay Gueteb, Urbiztondo town.

Nerez said they will invite “an elected official” to shed light on allegations that he coddled Pidlaoan.

“I talked to the governor this morning and he said there should be no scared cows,” he said, giving a hint that the politician hails from the second congressional district.

“This should also serve as a strong warning to other coddlers of criminals,” he said.

He said they are 100 percent sure that Pidlaoan, who had an arrest warrant for kidnapping for ransom from the municipal trial court in Rosales town, belonged to the Quitaleg KFR gang that seized a female trader in Rosales and a rich Chinese businessman in Dagupan City sometime in 2002.

Espina said Pidlaoan is facing trial in Criminal Case No. 8571 for the kidnapping of Chinese-Filipino trader Gina So in 2002.

So, owner of Golden Lumber and Hardware in Rosales, Pangasinan was abducted on Sept. 14, 2002 by the Quitalig group who demanded P30-million for the safe release of the victim.

According to Espina, the victim was held captive by her kidnappers for 44 days until she was freed on Oct. 28 somewhere in Victoria, Tarlac.

No bail is recommended for Pidlaoan’s case.

Nerez said in a separate interview that among the KFR group’s victims in Pangasinan was a female trader in Rosales and a Chinese hotel owner in Dagupan City. They also had one victim in Batangas whom they released in Victoria, Tarlac after a pay off.

The group was very active in their KFR operations in 2002, Nerez said.

He said the group’s leader had been earlier killed by lawmen in an encounter in Tarlac.

He added that based on police monitoring, remnants of this group have allegedly shifted to gun-for-hire operations.

Neres said they are double-checking whether members of this same group are behind the recent killings in Pangasinan.

Nerez used to work at the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response that handled the two kidnapping cases.

He said Pidlaoan’s arrest was in response to Espino’s order during his State of the Province Address for the police to go after guns-for-hire and those coddling or using them.

Pidlaoan’s companion, a certain Danny Aquino, is still being hunted. Leaders of the Quitaleg KFR gang, Joselito and Ramil Quitaleg, have been neutralized in Tarlac, Nerez said. Pidlaoan denied that the Quitalegs are his relatives.

Other members of the gang are believed to have shifted to gun-for-hire not only in Pangasinan but also in neighboring provinces, Nerez said, adding they could go back to their old criminal ways.

Police said Pidlaoan and his cohorts had gone into hiding but returned to their criminal activities before the 2007 elections.

Nerez said the Quitaleg KFR gang possibly has links with the Bocala KFR syndicate because of their vast operations in Northern, Central and Southern Luzon.
He added their ransom demands amounting to up to P50 million showed they are big-time KFR syndicates.

Nerez asaid there would be more peace in the province following the arrest of Pidlaoan and the neutralization a few months ago of five other suspected guns-for-hire in the cities of Dagupan and Urdaneta and the towns of Manaoag, Villasis and Malasiqui.

Senior Insp. Mario Estrada, Urbiztondo town earlier bared Pidlaoan nabbed by elements of the Special Operation Group under Supt. Joseph Lopez, Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response, under Chief Insp. Marceliano Desamito Jr., Provincial Intelligence Branch under Supt. Amando Lagiwid in coordination with Mangatarem and Urbiztondo Police Stations under the over-all supervision of Nerez, police provincial director, and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group under Supt. Jonel Estomo.