Group eyed in Que kidnap-slay may be Pogo debt collectors — PNP
Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame. File photo.
MANILA, Philippines — A group suspected to be behind the abduction and killing of Filipino-Chinese steel magnate Anson Que and his driver may be debt collectors connected to Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) previously linked to a prior kidnapping case.
This was according to Philippine National Police (PNP) Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo in a press briefing in Camp Crame on Friday.
“What is the reason for possibly tying up this incident to the other one last year? Because of how the kidnap victims were killed as well as how duct tape was put on their faces and the way they were hogtied,” Fajardo said in mixed Filipino and English.
She also said the victims were inserted into nylon bags.
“The group we mention in the first incident and may be connected with this new case was involved before with Pogos in that their modus operandi is they are allegedly the collectors of debt in relation to Pogo operations,” she explained.
Fajardo did not go into the specifics of the earlier case she mentioned.
However, she did detail that the group being suspected was composed of Chinese nationals.
As for Que, the PNP spokesperson said police had yet to establish whether the Filipino-Chinese steel magnate himself was involved with Pogos.
Ongoing investigation
She added that crime scene operatives have yet to complete their examination of the bodies, while investigators continue to backtrack the victims’ and their vehicle’s movement since being last seen on March 29.
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Fajardo said closed circuit television camera (CCTV) footage showed that the victim’s vehicle did not take its usual route home.
According to her, witnesses told police that the vehicle believed to be last used by the victims and recovered in Quezon City on Tuesday was spotted abandoned elsewhere.
However, she did not specify when the vehicle was seen prior to its recovery.
“As to the other details, the specifics, the family is reiterating their request not to give too much information including the ransom because the kidnappers communicated directly with the family,” Fajardo said.
The bodies were recovered in Rodriguez, Rizal on Wednesday, with the PNP confirming it was Que and his driver on Thursday.
Kidnapping cases
Que’s case is the third case of kidnapping individuals with Chinese ethnicity in the last five weeks, according to Filipino-Chinese civic leader Teresita Ang-See.
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According to PNP data shared by Fajardo, there were a total of 26 kidnapping incidents in 2023. Of these, two cases were casino-related and one was Pogo-related.
Then, there were a total of 32 incidents in 2024, where two cases were casino-related and three were Pogo-related.
The total kidnapping incidents so far in 2025 is 13, eight of which involved Chinese nationals as victims, Fajardo detailed.
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“When the president ordered to stop Pogo operations, this is when Pogo-related kidnappings started, where individuals and groups were possibly taking losses so they shifted to kidnapping,” Fajardo said.
When asked if this was a cause for concern, Fajardo answered, “If we will see the figures alone, that will be the perception we see. But again, this is precisely the reason the PNP now is working hand-in-hand and in close coordination with other government agencies.”
