QC court finds 7 guilty in 2025 kidnapping of 78-year-old trader

PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. —PHOTO FROM OFFICE OF THE CHIEF PNP/FACEBOOK

MANILA, Philippines — A Quezon City court has convicted seven people, some of them former military personnel, for the kidnapping of a 78-year-old businesswoman last year and sentenced them to reclusion perpetua (up to 40 years in prison) without parole.

The court, in a decision dated June 30, also ordered them to pay civil, moral, and exemplary damages to the victim, who was safely rescued after nine days in captivity.

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Four other accused who reportedly acted as aides and caretakers were acquitted after prosecutors failed to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

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“In just nine months, we were able to [secure] the conviction of seven kidnappers, including the mastermind and former military men,” said Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. in a statement on Wednesday.

READ: Kidnapping cases vs Atong Ang now in Quezon City courts

“This case is proof not only of good planning and conduct of operations but also of efficient case build-up,” he said.

According to the PNP, the businesswoman was abducted on Sept 2, 2025 along C3 Road in Quezon City. Her captors demanded a ransom of P150 million from her family, who is engaged in large-scale manufacturing.

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The family, however, sought help from the police although authorities initially found it difficult to identify the perpetrators as the kidnapping appeared to have been carefully planned.

READ: NCR’s 6th most wanted nabbed over Pasay kidnapping case

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The police later tracked down the members of the gang who had taken the victim to Batangas.

Case breakthrough

A breakthrough came after the kidnappers escorted the victim to a bank in Quezon City to withdraw P8 million on Sept. 11, 2025. A call from the bank alerted the police which conducted a rescue operation, freed the victim and arrested three suspects.

Eight additional suspects, including former military personnel, were later apprehended in follow-up operations.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, Brigadier General Edwin Balles, acting director of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group, said they launched follow-up and hot pursuit operations in various areas, including Bulacan, Cavite, and Metro Manila.

Balles said the suspects deceived the victim by working in her household as a security guard and driver.

“Gathering documentary, testimonial, digital and forensic evidence was a challenging process,” the police official added.

“Those pieces of evidence proved crucial in securing the conviction and ensuring the successful prosecution of the case,” Balles said.

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According to Nartatez, the case served as “concrete evidence of what we can achieve in maintaining peace and order through certainty of conviction of those who would dare break the law.” /cb