A LAWMAKER on Sunday urged the National Police (PNP) to exert all efforts to trace and recover the P200 million ransom paid by the family of businessman Anson Que who was kidnapped and killed.
Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel said that recovering the ransom would send a strong message that “criminal acts — no matter how concealed — will not be rewarded, and that the rule of law will prevail over lawlessness.”
“We urge the PNP to deploy every available resource and investigative tool to follow the money trail, hold all perpetrators accountable, and recover the funds illicitly obtained,” Pimentel said.
Pimentel, a senior member of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety, also warned that failing to trace or reclaim ransom payments risks emboldening criminal syndicates and perpetuating a dangerous cycle of violence and exploitation.
“Our government must send a strong and unambiguous message: crime does not pay, and justice will relentlessly pursue those who threaten public safety,” he stressed.
He added that recovering the funds is not only about delivering justice but also a reaffirmation of the state’s authority.
Pimentel stressed that any recovered amount should be returned to the bereaved Que family, who paid the ransom in a desperate attempt to save their loved one.
“This act of justice and compassion would, in some small way, help ease the burden of their profound loss,” he added.
The PNP earlier disclosed that it had enlisted the help of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and other agencies to trace the cryptocurrency payments — totaling P200 million — made in multiple tranches to Que’s captors.
The PNP spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo, said tracking the digital money trail may lead authorities to at least two more Chinese nationals suspected of playing key roles in the abduction and murder of Que and his driver, Armanie Pabillo.
Que and Pabillo were last seen on March 29 after leaving the Elison Steel office in Valenzuela City. Their bodies were found on April 9, dumped along a roadside in barangay Macabud, Montalban, Rizal.
Three suspects are already in custody in connection with the case: Chinese national David Tan Liao and Filipino nationals Richardo Austria David and Raymart Catequista.
