PNP: Tan kidnap-slay case ‘solved’; raps set
“Case solved. Justice served.”
Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Marbil said this on Sunday following the arrest of three suspects in the kidnapping-murder of Chinese-Filipino businessman Anson Tan and his driver Armanie Pabillo, adding that the mastermind “will be identified and formally charged within the week.”
Tan is the businessman’s legal name. He is also known as Anson Que, the name the police used in earlier pronouncements on the case.
In a statement, Marbil offered no further details about the “individual behind the operation” whose identity he promised to reveal in the coming days.
The bodies of Tan and his driver were found with bruises and signs of injury and strangulation in Rodriguez, Rizal province, on April 9, almost two weeks after they went missing and a day after Tan’s luxury minivan was found in Project 6, Quezon City.
They were last seen on March 29, the day they were believed to have been abducted.
The PNP on Saturday announced the custody of suspects David Tan Liao, Richardo Austria David (also known as Richard Tan Garcia), and Raymart Catequista.
David and Catequista were arrested in Roxas town in Palawan province on Friday while Liao surrendered to the police on Saturday afternoon.
David is the driver of Liao while Catequista is David’s brother-in-law.
“This was not a random act of kidnap-for-ransom, but a calculated kidnap-for-hire operation,” Marbil noted.
PNP public information office chief Police Col. Randulf Tuaño, meanwhile, said in a radio interview also on Sunday that a search is underway for the “masterminds.”
The PNP earlier said that Liao, a Chinese also known as Xiao Chang Jiang/Yang, Jianmin/Michael Agad Yung, was used by syndicates to kidnap Chinese nationals with debts related to Philippine offshore gaming operators or Pogos.
Liao “recruited and paid local henchmen to carry out abductions and executions,” the PNP said. “These were not random acts but deliberate, contract-based crimes targeting individuals embroiled in disputes over unpaid debts, betrayals or internal conflicts.”
He was also involved in five other kidnapping incidents—in November 2022 in Muntinlupa, Feb. 3, 2024, near Solaire Resort and Casino, August 2024 in Pasay, December 2024 in Muntinlupa, and February 2025 in Parañaque, according to the PNP.
In the same statement, Marbil rejected calls for a thorough scrutiny of the police force and perceptions that there was an increase in kidnap-for-ransom activities targeting Chinese-Filipinos.
“These are isolated, calculated acts rooted in personal and financial vendettas. The situation is firmly under control. Our law enforcement strategies are effective. Criminal networks are being taken down,” Marbil pointed out.
Last week, Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption president Arsenio Evangelista warned of the “resurgence” of these criminal activities, which could deal a “direct blow” to the economy.
“This is what we are more worried about. When peace and order is down, there will be a capital flight among the businessmen,” he said in a television interview.
Prosecution
In Congress, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian has commended the PNP for its “swift and relentless” action that led to the arrest of three suspects in the kidnapping and killing of Tan and his driver, but said the fight must not end here.
“We must ensure that everyone involved in this heinous act—whether as perpetrators, accomplices, or mastermind—is identified and held fully accountable,” he said. “It’s the government’s responsibility to protect the lives of its citizens. Let this serve as a message: Justice will catch up with those who choose to sow fear and violence in our communities.”
Former senator and PNP chief Panfilo Lacson also lauded the police for the suspects’ arrest and said the next step is to ensure the conviction of the perpetrators.
“We must now give them credit for the arrest of three out of at least five suspects. Equally important is the conviction of all the perpetrators by building an airtight case,” Lacson said in a post on X.
“What is needed is a positive resolution of KFR (kidnap-for-ransom) cases. That is the important thing,” he added.
He also stressed the cooperation of the public is important as well to solve the case.
Speaker Martin Romualdez likewise commended the arrests as a clear demonstration of the administration’s commitment to delivering justice and protecting the public against organized crime.
“This case proves that our law enforcement institutions, when fully supported, are capable of solving even the most complex crimes without resorting to violence or extrajudicial means,” Romualdez said.
Romualdez reaffirmed the House’s commitment to crafting measures aimed at enhancing law enforcement capabilities, improving interagency coordination, and strengthening the criminal justice system.
Military assistance
Meanwhile, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel on Sunday urged President Marcos to tap the military to help gather information against kidnapping gangs.
He said the President could mobilize the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp) to support law enforcement in gathering actionable information against kidnapping syndicates.
According to Pimentel, “the President may lawfully deploy Isafp, as well as the intelligence units of the Army, Air Force, and Navy, to assist the [PNP] in countering kidnapping groups, particularly when their activities pose threats to public safety or national security,” the lawmaker noted.
Pimentel cited the provision in the 1987 Constitution giving the President authority to direct military operations in matters of internal security and public order as Commander in Chief.
“This constitutional power enables the President to utilize military intelligence in support of the police, especially in cases involving grave threats like kidnapping gangs that may have links to transnational crime,” he said, adding that “military assistance to civil authorities is a well-established component of internal security operations.” —WITH REPORTS FROM TINA G. SANTOS AND JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE
