The "Steel King" of the Philippines, Guo Congyuan, was officially buried recently. However, during the solemn farewell, his family publicly expressed strong dissatisfaction with the incompetence and delay of the Philippine police in the investigation of the kidnapping case.
Guo Congyuan was brutally murdered after paying a huge ransom, causing a strong shock in the Chinese community and even across the entire nation of the Philippines.
The Guo case is not an isolated incident. As early as the end of 2024, a Chinese businessman and his driver were also killed after delivering the ransom, with the murderer using tape to seal their mouths, leading to death. The method of operation was almost identical, showing that the kidnapping group is highly organized and their modus operandi has become "assembly line" like.
The police investigation found that the ransom was suspected to be laundered through VIP rooms in some Manila casinos and quickly injected into the gambling system. Some casinos and virtual currency platforms have initiated risk control restrictions, including withdrawal and transfer limits, indicating that an international special case investigation may have been launched.
Although the platforms or casinos may not subjectively assist in the crime, system vulnerabilities and regulatory deficiencies provide operational space for ransom laundering. This also raises questions: Will the real-name information of these platform customers become a breakthrough in the investigation? Has it been shared with the international law enforcement network?
The police's response is weak, and both the Chinese community and the political circles criticize together
The slow progress of the case investigation has caused the public to lose confidence in the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG). Chinese community leader Hong Yuhua calls for the reactivation of the "Police Anti-Crime Emergency Force" (PACER) mechanism, to restore the efficiency of intelligence sharing, and suggests establishing a daily progress report system to enhance transparency.
Senator Joel Villanueva openly criticizes the AKG for being "inactive" and suggests that the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) take over the case investigation and thoroughly investigate the gray interest chain behind the POGO gaming platforms. He points out that the number of kidnapping cases in the first quarter of 2025 has nearly reached the annual average, with eighty percent of the victims being Chinese citizens.
Police Chief Mabini responds by stating that the police have identified some suspects and are cooperating with the immigration bureau to implement exit controls. He emphasizes the need to "dismantle the entire criminal network" and promises to strengthen cooperation with the business community, increase police forces in key areas, and enhance corporate preventive capabilities.
However, multiple business organizations and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce jointly state that kidnapping is not an isolated event but a systemic crisis, and mere statements from the police are insufficient to restore public trust.
From the Zeng case to the Guo case: Three lives lost in two years, crisis escalating
The murder of Guo Congyuan reminds people of the shocking "massacre of a family of six Chinese businessmen named Zeng" in 2023. There are many similarities between the two cases:
Target precision: The background of Chinese businessmen becomes a high-risk label, their movements are precisely monitored, and information leakage is suspected;
Normalizing ticket tearing: Even after negotiating the ransom, the hostages are still killed, reflecting that the criminal gangs have standardized the process of killing;
Slow police response: Many cases failed to respond effectively within the "golden 48 hours," missing the key to solving the case;
The blurred line between officials and criminal forces: There is widespread suspicion of collusion between kidnapping groups and corrupt police forces;
Outrage in the Chinese-Filipino community: The cases have attracted high attention from the Chinese embassy and overseas Chinese groups, with continuous diplomatic pressure.
According to statistics, the number of kidnapping cases in the Philippines has been rising continuously since 2017, reaching 32 in 2024, and 12 in the first three months of 2025, eight of which involved Chinese, showing that foreigners are the preferred targets of kidnapping groups.
Urgent need for anti-kidnapping reform
The frequent ticket tearing cases have revealed a deep crisis in the Philippine security system. The political, business, and civil organizations are calling for the government to initiate systemic reforms, including:
Reorganizing the anti-kidnapping unit, restoring an efficient emergency system;
Establishing a cross-departmental coordination mechanism to deal with complex transnational financial crimes;
Strengthening anti-money laundering supervision in casinos and fintech platforms;
Initiating independent third-party supervision to ensure law enforcement transparency;
Enhancing security protection policies for foreign expatriates.
As Hong Yuhua said: "Prevention is better than cure," only by starting from the system and institutional level can the next tragedy be prevented.
