A policeman and another suspect were later arrested at a checkpoint on suspicion of taking part in the kidnap attempt.

Reports reaching Camp Crame in Quezon City identified the suspect as PO1 Jun Virtusio, who was arrested at a checkpoint in Bauan, Batangas, following the foiled kidnapping attempt. The other suspect was identified as a certain Terry Jamilla. They are now detained at the Batangas Provincial Police headquarters.

Police authorities said that Barbers was on board a Ford E-150 luxury van along with his wife and three children when they were blocked by a Ford Lynx sedan with two men on board.

Barbers said that he was asked by the suspects to alight from the van but he drove off and sped towards Bauan town.

The suspects from the Ford car gave chase with a Mitsubishi Adventure with three persons on board joining them.

The suspects caught up with Barbers’ vehicle at Bauan poblacion.

While being asked again to alight from the car at gunpoint, Barbers said a local media man suddenly arrived and, seeing the commotion, began taking video footages of the suspects who were armed with an M-16 rifle and handguns.

Noticing themselves being videotaped, the gang members boarded their vehicles and escaped in separate directions.

"While I was pleading to the gang members to take me and leave my family alone, suddenly this media man arrived. He was a like an angel who saved me," Barbers said in a radio interview over DZRH.

Upon reaching the Bauan Police Station to report the incident, the PTA chief received information that Virtusio was arrested at a police checkpoint.

When Barbers confronted Virtusio, the suspect denied involvement in the kidnapping. However, the video footage taken by the media man showed the policeman among the kidnap gang suspects.

The Mitsubishi Adventure, which had no license plates, was later recovered by police authorities. Police authorities recovered inside the Adventure several bullets and R100,000 cash.

The PTA chief said that he and his family were on their way to Barangay Anilao in Mabini, Batangas for a weekend vacation.

He was later informed that the San PascualBauan area has become a favorite spot for incidents of "day kidnapping" in which affluent families are abducted and released by the suspects on the same day after the families paid ransom.

Elements of the PNP Regional Office 4-A were deployed in the area to conduct pursuit operations against Virtusio’s other gang members who police reports said are mostly his relatives in the police and military service.