COTABATO CITY – A suspected kidnap-for-ransom gang member arrested three days ago in a remote town in Maguindanao was freed after the kidnap victims allegedly refused to testify against him.
Col. Gerry Dida, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Battalion, said his command has no choice but to release Kalon Pined from detention “when no kidnap victims from Cotabato City and in other areas in central Mindanao would want to file case against him.”
Dida said that the arrest of Pined, younger brother of Teng Pined, one of the most wanted kidnap-for-ransom gang leaders operating in the region, “was a product of an extensive intelligence work.”
“It pains us when nobody, especially the victims, would support us in our quest to free this region from kidnappers and other lawless elements,” said Dida in an interview.
Soldiers and members of the Army’s intelligence unit arrested Pined in a remote village in Kabuntalan last July 26. He was released last Wednesday.
After his arrest, Dida and his men informed the kidnap victims “but none of them expressed willingness to pursue the case.”
The release of kidnap suspect has surprised the business community here.
Pete Marquez, chairman of the Metro Cotabato Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI), said the soldiers should have kept Pined in detention “because the crime he committed was considered heinous.”
“As far as I know, Kalon Pined has a standing warrant of arrest. Why was he freed?” asked a businessman who requested anonymity.
Meanwhile, elements of the Army’s 6th IB seized high-powered firearms in a remote village in South Upi, Maguindanao last Monday.
The seized firearms that included an M-16, two M-14, carbine and a shotgun allegedly owned by suspected cattle rustlers operating in Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat were turned over to the 6th Infantry Division at its headquarters at Camp Siongco in Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.
