The Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed on Black Saturday, April 19, that it has taken custody of three suspects tagged in the kidnapping and killing of Filipino-Chinese steel magnate Anson Que and his driver, Armanie Pabillo.

PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo identified the suspects as Chinese national David Tan Liao with aliases “Xiao Chang Jiang/Yang”, “Jiangmin” and “Michael Agad Yung”; Richardo Austria David alias “Richard Tan Garcia”, Liao’s driver; and Raymart Catequista alias “Taba”.

Fajardo said David and Catequista were arrested in Roxas, Palawan on Good Friday while Liao surrendered to the PNP’s Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG) on Black Saturday and “confessed to his participation” to the kidnap-for-ransom case.

“The three named suspects who are under the custody of AKG underwent inquest proceedings before the Department of Justice (DOJ) after they were charged for two counts of kidnapping for ransom with homicide,” Fajardo said.

Kidnap-for-ransom

Que’s killing, the PNP spokeswoman noted, had been “planned [for] months in advance starting as early as January this year.”

“Based on our investigation, the intention really is to kill,” Fajaro said.

Que, whose real name is Congyuan Guo and with alias Anson Tan, was the owner of Valenzuela City-based Elison Steel. He was seen leaving his office on March 29 onboard his Black Lexus driven by Pabillo. That was the last time they were seen alive.

On March 30, the family of Que received a message through WeChat messaging application demanding $20 million as ransom money. The kidnapping case was immediately reported by Que’s family to the PNP-AKG.

The demand was eventually raised to “200 million in cryptocurrency” sent in multiple tranches to the suspects. However, on April 9, Que and Pabillo were found dead along the road in Rodriguez, Rizal.

Fajardo said the victims were killed on April 8.

What happened before?

Based on the investigation, the suspects used a female Chinese contact to “lure” Que to go to an apartment unit used as their meeting place in Barangay Langka, Meycauayan, Bulacan on March 28 for unknown reasons but the meet-up was only carried out a day later, May 29.

Fajardo said Liao was the one renting the apartment unit where Que and Pabillo were restrained, held hostage, and eventually killed.

Liao, according to the PNP, is part of a POGO-associated group that kidnaps Chinese individuals who have “debts” to POGOs. “He is only the operator behind this case. He was used by the masterminds of this crime to kidnap Mr. [Que],” Fajardo said.

“We are looking at the possibility that this may be a POGO-related case but aside from that, we also are eyeing an angle where we have established a very solid lead. That lead indicates that the group behind this case is not only after kidnap-for-ransom when they took Mr. [Que]. However, the family [of the victims] requested not to reveal initial information yet,” Fajardo explained.

“We are still following the money trail, where the ransom money went,” she added.

Meanwhile, in a video footage shown by the PNP during a press conference at Camp Crame in Quezon City, David was seen entering a convenience store and buying wet wipes and a plastic bag which he allegedly used to wipe his fingerprints on the vehicle of the victim before he abandoned it in Quezon City on March 29.

Catequista, on the other hand, serves as the caretaker of the apartment unit rented by Liao, the PNP said.

On April 16, the PNP-AKG implemented a search warrant at the apartment where the victims went before they were reported missing.

“Investigators recovered critical evidence including a DNA specimen that matched the DNA profile of one of the victims, which is Armanie Pabillo,” Fajardo shared.

“Our investigation is solid, thorough, and based on credible evidence. Every lead, every piece of evidence, and every step taken has been backed by facts and the law,” she added.

More kidnap-for-ransom cases solved soon?

With the surrender of Liao, the PNP is confident that five more kidnap-for-ransom cases would be solved soon as he is allegedly involved with such cases.

This, as investigators found out that two vehicles owned by Liao, including one that was used to dump the bodies of Que and Pabillo, were also utilized in other kidnap-for-ransom cases.

The kidnapping cases were in Muntinlupa in November 2022; in February 2024 at Solaire Resort and Casino in Parañaque City; in August 2024 in Pasay City; in December 2024 in Muntinlupa City; and in February 2025 in Parañaque City.

“All of these kidnapping cases have connections to POGO operations,” Fajardo said.

The PNP said that Liao had also been arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for a kidnapping case in Angeles, Pampanga in 2009. “This was the reason why he decided to use different aliases,” Fajardo said.