The Philippine National Police (PNP) has launched a multi-agency task force aimed at cracking down on organized kidnapping operations across the country.
PNP Chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil on Wednesday, May 28, led the launch of the Joint Anti-Kidnapping Action Committee (JAKAC) — a coordinated national effort to identify, investigate, and dismantle kidnap-for-hire syndicates.
“We recognize that kidnapping is not only a crime of greed but a crime of fear. Today, we are choosing courage over fear. We are choosing collaboration over fragmentation. We are choosing people’s safety over criminal profit,” Marbil said in a speech.
Marbil said the creation of JAKAC reflects the government’s commitment to justice and public safety under the Bagong Pilipinas campaign.
He noted that recent high-profile cases have shown how kidnapping schemes have become more complex, often involving transnational elements and targeting women, children, businessmen, and foreign nationals.
“The rise in sophistication and impunity of such criminal activities compels us to respond with equal, if not, greater resolve. That is precisely what the joint action-kidnapping action committee embodies,” Marbil said, describing JAKAC as a unified, intelligence-driven, and victim-centered approach.
Leading the committee is PNP Chief of the Directorial Staff and Deputy Chief for Investigation Lt. Gen. Edgar Allan Okubo.
The initiative follows the recent resolution of the kidnapping and murder of Filipino-Chinese steel executive Congyuan Guo (also known as Anson Tan/Que) and his driver, Armanie Pabillo.
JAKAC brings together a wide range of government agencies, including the following:
- Department of the Interior and Local Government
- Department of Justice
- Armed Forces of the Philippines
- Anti-Money Laundering Council
- Bureau of Immigration
- National Bureau of Investigation
- Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.
- Philippine Center for Transnational Crime
- Association of Southeast Asian Nations Police
- Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission
- National Security Council
- National Intelligence Coordinating Agency
- Department of Information and Communication Technology
- Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center
It also includes private sector and civil society groups, such as the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, Movement for the Restoration of Peace and Order, Bankers Association of the Philippines, and Makati Business Club as well as the media.
The task force is equipped to trace money laundering activities linked to ransom payments — even those made through cryptocurrency — ensuring a more comprehensive crackdown on syndicates.
