Kidnapping-related Incidents – May 2025
In May 2025, PSA Intelligence recorded ten (10) kidnapping incidents.
PSA Consultancy recorded ten (10) kidnapping related incidents involving twenty (20) victims in May 2025. Personal dispute-related incidents accounted for 50 percent of incidents, while thirty percent of incidents were politically motivated. Only one incident involved a ransom demand worth PHP 11.14 million (USD 200,000).
Of the twenty (20) kidnap victims reported during the period, four were foreign victims – two of Chinese nationality, one South Korean, and one Indian. PSA recorded zero kidnapping incidents targeting a Western national this month.
Of the total kidnapping incidents, one kidnapping incident occurred in San Juan City while two incidents each occurred in Maguindanao del Sur and Iloilo. The remaining incidents occurred in Batangas, Bulacan, Catanduanes, La Union, and Negros Occidental.
Analysts did not record any successful rescue operations for the month of May. Meanwhile, three of the kidnapping incidents in April resulted in the demise of the victims.
Two incidents recorded in May 2025 involved suspects posing as law enforcement agents. Analysts note that this modus operandi has long been employed by suspects especially as fake law enforcement uniforms, which are some indistinguishable from authentic uniforms, are readily available for purchase in local markets.
PSA also notes that amidst the relatively high number of incidents and victims recorded in May 2025, many of these incidents are personal dispute-related and/or politically motivated, the latter of which may have to do with the recently concluded midterm elections. Most incidents were also targeted and pre-planned, usually involving suspects in close relation to the victims. Available information suggests that the risk of these kinds of abductions targeting foreigners or businesspersons remains relatively low.
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