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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Cop faces dismissal for kidnapping of businessman cousin in Cabanatuan City

Cop faces dismissal for kidnapping of businessman cousin in Cabanatuan City

Published Jan 28, 2026 07:34 pm
Police present a screenshot from a CCTV in relation to the kidnapping of a businessman in Cabanatuan City. One of the suspects turned out to be a policeman on AWOL. (photo: PNP)
Police present a screenshot from a CCTV in relation to the kidnapping of a businessman in Cabanatuan City. One of the suspects turned out to be a policeman on AWOL. (photo: PNP)
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has started the conduct of summary dismissal proceedings against a policeman who was accused of kidnapping a businessman who turned out to be his own cousin in Cabanatuan City.
PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr. said the involvement of a policeman in a serious crime is a grave concern as it taints the name of the organization and affect almost all cops who are committed to their mandate.
“The Philippine National Police has no room for people who think and act like the very criminals that we arrest. I will make sure that this policeman will have an extended long vacation in jail,” said Nartatez.
Authorities said the businessman was seized at gunpoint at his warehouse in Barangay Kapitan Pepe on Jan. 26. The suspects escaped using the victim’s red pick-up truck.
The suspects subsequently demanded P5 million from the victim’s family. But after an intelligence-driven operation, police safely rescued the businessman in Barangay Bakod Bayan and recovered the stolen vehicle in the same area.
By tracing the victim’s stolen cellphone, police arrested a 49-year-old AWOL (absent without official leave) police officer, identified as the alleged mastermind and the victim’s cousin, in San Miguel, Bulacan.
Follow-up operations led to the arrest of two other suspects in Cabanatuan City and Palayan City, Nueva Ecija.
“We will pursue both administrative and criminal cases to their full extent,” said Nartatez.
To prevent a repeat of the incident, Nartatez ordered a nationwide validation of AWOL police officers, including the accounting of service firearms and issued police identification cards.
“Being a policeman is not a license to commit crime. Once a police officer goes AWOL, he is already subject to administrative sanctions,” he said.
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