MAMANG PULIS -- THE Philippine National Police remains on top of the situation when it comes to kidnapping-for-ransom cases in the country where authorities even recorded a “zero KFR” case in Luzon and Visayas from January 1 to date, officials said yesterday.

PNP chief, Director General Raul M. Bacalzo, cited the headways made by the elite Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response headed by Senior Supt. Isagani R. Nerez in the crackdown against kidnappings as a major reason behind the reduction in kidnapping cases since the year started.

The PACER, however, is treating the situation in Mindanao differently due to the presence of lawless groups notorious for kidnappings like the Abu Sayyaf, the Pentagon Group and rogue Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front guerrillas and other copycat gangs.

“We have tremendously improved our presence in Luzon and Visayas to arrest kidnappings. At the same time, we have increased our field offices in Mindanao to three to actively participate in the operations against threat groups like the Abu Sayyaf, the MILF and MNLF and other threat groups,” said Nerez, a lawyer-member of Philippine Military Academy Class 1984.

At present, the PACER has increased its personnel in Mindanao from 17 to 99, with the anti-kidnapping agents deployed in Cotabato, Davao and Zamboanga to fight kidnapping gangs with the help of local police territorial forces and the Armed Forces.

In a report to PNP chief, Director General Raul M. Bacalzo, Nerez said that they rescued four KFR victims, arrested 10 wanted kidnappers and eight wanted criminals from July 2010 to last June 30.

Nine kidnapping cases were recorded during the second semester of 2010 while two others were investigated during the first semester of 2011.

Cases being handled by the PACER ranges from abduction to feigned kidnapping, cases of missing persons, business rivalry, robbery, murder, elopement, collection of debts, drug-related cases, human trafficking and even those staged by housemaids.