Kidnapping and Extortion in the Philippines

Though the risks of kidnapping and extortion in the Philippines are well-known, significant developments in 2015 pose new threats to travellers to the region.

The threat of kidnapping specifically was elevated in the Philippines this past year and was driven by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), a militant Islamist organisation that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) in 2014. The organisation relies heavily on kidnap for ransom and extortion for income. In 2015, the group carried out several kidnappings in the Philippines’ southern islands, including Mindanao and the surrounding islands in the Sulu Archipelago. In addition to kidnapping locals, the ASG carried out multiple kidnappings targeting South Koreans and several westerners.

The most significant attack occurred in September 2015, when the ASG kidnapped two Canadian tourists, a Norwegian resort manager and one Filipino woman from a holiday resort on Samal Island, in Davao del Norte province. The attack indicated an increase in sophistication of the ASG’s capabilities as the kidnapping took place in east Mindanao, an estimated 800km from the Sulu Archipelago where the group operates. Tanum, one of the ASG’s subgroups located in the Sulu province, is believed to have been responsible for the incident. Though little is known about the group, one of its chief members, Muamar Askali, was a student of Umar Patek, the bomb maker that was involved in the 2002 Bali Bombings. He is also believed to have been the mastermind behind the 2014 kidnapping of two Germans. Authorities believe that Tanum is responsible for a renewed Islamist radicalisation drive in Sulu as it endeavours to expand the ASG’s reach and make it an effective Islamist movement worthy of being a formal IS affiliate.

Extortion schemes also grabbed attention in 2015. The so-called ‘bullet-planting scheme,’ while not a new extortion activity in the Philippines, re-emerged in the past year as the number of people falling victim to this scam increased. With most incidents taking place at Manila International Airport, airport security officials and workers reportedly plant ammunition in the luggage of passengers to enable them to extort various amounts of money from the victims at a later stage. The scam is reportedly built off a tradition for some Filipinos to carry bullets as lucky charms. To avoid being caught with ammunition in their luggage, travellers pay between USD 30 to USD 1,800. From January to October 2015, more than 1,400 passengers were apprehended for having ammunition in their luggage. Recently, in September 2015, a 20-year-old American missionary fell victim to the scheme in which assailants attempted to extort nearly USD 1,000. The missionary refused to pay the money and subsequently spent six days in prison, only to be released after posting a USD 2,500 bail.

In response to these incidents, the government launched an investigation into the bullet planting scam in November 2015 and has arrested several individuals. Even though monitoring and surveillance measures have been boosted at airports, these scams are likely to continue.