The Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office recommended the filing of kidnapping charges in court against a man who accosted the father of pop star Sarah Geronimo inside the ABS-CBN compound.

After the inquest proceeding, Quezon City Assistant City Prosecutor Reuben Ritzuko Veradio recommended the indictment for kidnapping and serious illegal detention of Delfin Geronimo by the suspect Paulino Mercado.

Mercado, 43, married, aircraft mechanic and resident of No. 308 Col. J. Elises St. Tacling 1-B Imus, Cavite, allegedly stunned the elder Geronimo with a 200,000-volt stun gun in a failed abduction attempt at the basement parking of the television network in Quezon City.

The prosecutor refused to believe the suspect’s claim that he had no intention of kidnapping the singer’s father and was merely planning to stage a hold-up as he had fallen into hard times.

“I have no intention of kidnapping him. All I planned was to stage a hold up,” Mercado said.

Instead the prosecutor agreed with the recommendation of the investigating police officer PO3 Ranilo Mendoza to charge the suspect with kidnapping and recommended no bail for the suspect.

“I’m relieved that the prosecutor recommended the filing of charges against him (Mercado). Now he wouldn’t be able to do to anybody else what he did to me,” Geronimo said.

Investigation showed that around 12:30 p.m. of August 10, a security guard of ABS-CBN informed Geronimo that a person is waiting for him at the basement to give a gift to his daughter from a shampoo company she was endorsing.

At basement, Mercado forcibly dragged the victim to a navy blue Hyundai Grace van (WPC-437), and once inside the suspect poked a stun gun on his left shoulder but Geronimo was able to shove the suspect away before jumping out from the van.

Geronimo ran and repeatedly shouted for help, getting the attention of the security guards who later pounced on Mercado.

When interrogated by police investigators Mercado invoked his right to remain silent.

Police found 15 pieces of black nylon cable ties, the box for a 200,000-volt stun gun and 7 boxes wrapped as gifts inside the suspect’s Hyundai van.