Philippines Annual Kidnapping Report - 2026 Edition

In 2025, PSA recorded the lowest number of kidnapping incidents since 2015. It is difficult to definitively conclude whether this signifies a medium or long-term declining trend in actual kidnapping incidence in the Philippines. Nonetheless, the present situation remains vastly different from the historical heights of syndicated kidnapping in the 1990s and early 2000s. The kidnap-for-ransom threat against foreign expatriates, especially Western nationals, remains very low, with no recorded abductions against Western nationals in 2025.

Almost half of all abductions in 2025 were financially motivated, of which most were for ransom. Kidnap-for-ransom incidents in 2025 were still primarily identified with Chinese syndicates or individual Chinese suspects targeting ethnic Chinese victims. While diaspora abductions have been in decline since at least 2021, analysts still recorded numerous incidents involving ethnic Chinese suspects targeting ethnic Chinese victims with no explicit disclosures of whether the involved personalities were associated with the POGO sector. It is not always clear whether these Chinese-on-Chinese abductions were connected to the POGO industry or organized crime, though analysts believe this is highly likely.

The offshore gaming (POGO) ban enacted in December 2024 has been associated with a relative decrease in related crimes such as kidnapping in 2025, especially as the POGO sector has been associated with increased overall kidnapping incidence since 2017. There were initial concerns that the abolition of the POGO sector would lead to a spillover of its associated threat actors’ criminality to victim groups outside of its typical targets. In PSA’s view, the abolition of the POGO sector has not necessarily led to a significant spillover of POGO-associated criminality to populations outside of the sector when overall incidence is taken into account.

An emerging modus operandi in some local kidnap-for-ransom incidents in 2025 is the use of cryptocurrency for ransom payment as explicitly demanded by suspects. The use of cryptocurrency in kidnap-for-ransom cases drew national attention with the kidnap-murder of Anson Que, where authorities uncovered a complex ransom payment network involving casino junket operators and several foreign e-wallet and cryptocurrency accounts. In Mr. Que's case, the suspects explicitly demanded the family to convert the ransom to cryptocurrency, which they did through casino junket services.

At least one "wrench attack," a globally emerging violent crime modus that involves the deliberate targeting of high-value individuals with known wealth in cryptocurrency, was recorded in the Philippines in 2025. Wrench attacks and “crypto-kidnappings” are known to be short and quick as the intention is to get access to the victim’s crypto-trading accounts as soon as possible. In the recorded local case, the perpetrators were unsuccessful in extracting the victim's cryptocurrency. 

Most recorded crypto-related incidents are unclear on whether perpetrators targeted the victims for their known cryptocurrency wealth or if they simply wanted the ransom to be paid in cryptocurrency. Nonetheless, PSA notes that cryptocurrency is an emerging currency whose associated risks are still being understood, and therefore safeguards are difficult to definitively lay down.

PSA recorded the involvement of confirmed, rogue government security forces as perpetrators in some kidnap-for-ransom incidents in 2025. The involvement of confirmed government security personnel in kidnap-for-ransom incidents is typically facilitated by former uniformed personnel who offer their learned skills to criminal actors for personal gain, or by disgruntled personnel regardless of current status. While there remains a low recorded incidence of rogue government security forces’ involvement in kidnapping overall, their recorded involvement specifically in kidnap-for-ransom incidents between 2024 and 2025 is worth noting.

PSA did not record any Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) abductions for the fourth straight year. However, PSA notes the suspected involvement of other Islamist threat groups in at least two incidents in Mindanao, including the kidnap-murder of three local goat traders in Maguindanao del Sur. Analysts are of the view that this incident shows how there are still remnants of Islamist militants who retain the training and remain available to carry these kinds of incidents out for financial gain. The links between criminal and terrorist actors especially in Mindanao have long been established, along with the porousness of the spheres within and across which these actors move. To this end, the likelihood of isolated incidents such as these are low but non-negligible.

Nonetheless, the Abu Sayyaf kidnapping threat in the southern Philippines still remains much lower than it was when the group was at its peak, with significantly diminished operational capabilities and a lack of leadership that has been consistently observed in at least the last five years. Analysts do not see any indicators at present suggesting that this will significantly change in the short term.