June 16, 2002, The Philippine Star, Valenzuela food heiress escapes, by Jaime Laude,

June 16, 2002, The Philippine Star, Valenzuela food heiress escapes, by Jaime Laude,

The only daughter of the owners of one of the top processed-meat companies in the country escaped yesterday from her abductors, and initially sought refuge in a Pampanga Catholic church where she was fetched by her father, police said. 

The statement of police authorities that Charmaine Ong, 30, a dermatologist, had escaped was supported by her family. 

"Before noon today (Saturday), we received a telephone call from her informing us that she had escaped," a family member who requested anonymity told The STAR. 

Requested to give details of the escape, the family member declined. 

Police described Ong as in "a state of shock" when her father Jose together with anti-kidnapping policemen went to get her at the Our Lady of Sorrows Parish Church in San Fernando City. 

Central Luzon police sources said Ong did not want to cooperate with anti-kidnapping authorities who wanted "debrief" her, despite full assurance that she and her family would be given adequate protection. 

"We don’t know yet how she was able to stage the daring escape, nor if she has positive identification of any of her abductors," Central Luzon police sources said. 

The STAR learned that Ong called up her family in Manila around 10:30 a.m. yesterday to inform them that she was able to escape from her kidnappers. 

She declined, however, to tell her parents her exact location during the telephone call, fearing that their Manila residence telephone line could have been tapped and her abductors were monitoring their conversation. 

Central Luzon police sources quoted Ong as saying that after calling up her family, she kept on walking until she passed by a church where she sought assistance. 

A Fr. Flores, parish priest of the Our Lady of Sorrows Parish Church, initially took care of Ong, until her father and police authorities fetched her at about noon yesterday. 

Ong was kidnapped 7:15 p.m. Thursday after she, her secretary, and her driver Mateo Cahilig came out of her dematology clinic at the CDO Building in Marulas, Valenzuela City. 

Three armed men seized Ong at gunpoint as she was about to board her green Mitsubishi Galant with license plates TCS-851. 

In an attempt to defend Ong, Cahilig was shot in the abdomen by one of the kidnappers as he fought them. He is out of danger. 

However, the kidnappers also seized company guard Jaime Untoy who was also taken with Ong but was later found handcuffed to the steering wheel of Ong’s car. When the kidnapping happened, Untoy was on his way home. Ong’s car was abandoned along London Tech at University Hills Subdivision in Caloocan City. 

Untoy, who was near the kidnapping site, was seized by one of the men and was pushed inside the car that headed toward Caloocan City. 

The secretary of Ong escaped during the commotion and was able to telephone Ong’s parents and the police for help. 

Ong is the only daughter of Ateneo biology professor Jose Ong and Corazon Dayro-Ong, a former dietitian at the Manila Central University. The Ong family owns the Food Sphere Inc., the company that produces CDO Food Products which markets more than 300 processed meat products including corned beef, burger patties and ham. 

Initial police statements said they are investigating the possibility that the kidnapping could be linked to an ongoing labor dispute in Food Sphere. But Untoy was quoted as saying that he overheard one of the abductors telling Ong that her kidnapping was "only about money." 

The resolution of Ong’s case left two more reported kidnapping cases in Manila being investigated by authorities. 

It was learned that two victims were separately seized Monday and Tuesday in Binondo. 

Last Friday, armed men tried but failed to kidnap one of the prominent Chinese physicians of former President Ferdinand Marcos in Manila. 

Authorities are eyeing several groups as masterminding the series of Metro Manila abductions, claiming that these groups could be acting on orders of their superiors who are preparing for the 2004 elections. — With Pete Laude