Korean, 3 Filipinos held for kidnapping

CEBU CITY, Philippines—A Korean and three Filipinos have been arrested for the alleged kidnapping of another Korean and his Filipino wife to force the couple to pay a P4-million debt.

Police are to file the kidnapping complaint on Monday against Song Sunghen, 33, who was arrested upon his arrival at  Mactan Cebu International Airport past 1 a.m. on Thursday.

Also charged were Gregorio Dealagdon of Aloguinsan town; his cousin, Richard Nemenzo Dealagdon of Cebu City; and Leonard Bolalon of La Libertad town in Negros Occidental who were arrested following the rescue of the couple on Wednesday night.

Richard and Gregorio denied they kidnapped Jun Hyung Chung and Charice Santiago, saying they merely asked the couple to pay their P4-million debt to Song.

“If we kidnapped them, we would not allow Jun to use his cellular phone to call his mother in Korea,” said Richard.

Director General Nicanor Bartolome, Philippine National Police chief, told reporters on Friday that whatever the motive was, the fact remained that the suspects kidnapped the couple and should be charged.

Bartolome said the three Filipino suspects went to the couple’s apartment in Barangay Lahug past 11 a.m. on Wednesday and identified themselves as operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

They invited the couple for “questioning” claiming that there was a complaint filed against them, Bartolome said.

Jun and Santiago run a business in the casino. They help facilitate loans to Koreans who run into gambling debts.

The couple was then handcuffed and forced to board a Toyota Vios with license plate YGW-572. Instead of going to the police station, the couple was taken to Barangay Busay in Cebu City and then to the towns of Balamban, Pinamugahan and cities of Carcar and Toledo before going back to Cebu City.

The suspects allowed Jun to call his mother in Korea to ask for money. The mother, however, was able to seek help from Koreans based in Cebu City who in turn reported the kidnapping to the police.

Bartolome said the Office of the Anti-Kidnapping Task Force in Central Visayas received a report about the kidnapping in Barangay Lahug.