MANILA, Philippines – After staying quiet the whole day on the kidnapping of its 19-year-old student by no less than his own school mates, Colegio de San Juan de Letran broke its silence on Monday evening, August 6, vowing to help authorities and the victim’s family.

“The Colegio remains committed to the just resolution of this case, to cooperating with police efforts, to extending appropriate help to the family of the alleged kidnap victim, and to the promotion of the welfare of our students,” Letran said in a statement.

Of the 10 suspects in the case, 7 are students of Letran, including the alleged mastermind.

How the kidnapping happened: The 400-year-old college was referring to the alleged kidnapping of one of its students by no less than his classmates and pupils from other schools in Manila who demanded a P30 million ransom.

The victim, who refused to be named, was abducted Wednesday evening, August 1, and endured two days of being blindfolded and bound by the wrists with duct tape. He did not eat or drink until he was rescued on the Friday morning, August 3, said the Philippine National Police (PNP).

How Letran could help: In a radio interview on Monday, PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG) head Chief Superintendent Glenn Dumlao said he had sent agents under him to coordinate with schools, hoping to get information that would lead to the arrest and prosecution of suspects both detained and at-large.

So far, the following suspects who are students of Letran have been arrested by cops: alleged mastermind Jhulius Atabay, Ferdinand dela Vega Jr, and Ralph Emmanuel Camaya.

The following Letran students and suspects still at large are:

• Eriek Candava
• Billy Rocillo
• Miguel Austria
• Kim Pascua

Meanwhile, the victim’s family has decided to remain silent and not issued any statement to the public.

Positive thinking: The university played up the success of the PNP in solving the case.

“The alleged kidnap victim has been released safe and sound. No ransom amount was paid. And the alleged perpetrators are subjects of pursuit and arrest by police authorities,” the college added. – Rappler.com