A viral social media post by Ciryine Jehy Samia, captioned "kidnapping alert in Cebu," has sparked widespread reactions on Facebook. The incident occurred at around 2:00 a.m. on May 11, 2026, in the parking area of Miranza Center in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City. The CCTV footage was posted on Sunday evening, May 24, 2026.
CCTV footage details
The footage shows a white Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and two men conversing outside. One of them, a large man wearing a hat, is seen talking on his cell phone. Moments later, a gray car that had been parked near the guard house slowly approaches their location, coinciding with the arrival of a white van.
Approximately five to eight men emerge from the van and the car, forcibly pushing the two victims into the vehicles. One victim was identified as Glen. After the abduction, the van and a gray Toyota Vios with plate number GAQ 8686 quickly fled the scene, while another suspect drove the victim's SUV.
Police investigation
The Mabolo Police Station, led by Police Major Eric Gingoyon, launched an immediate investigation. According to Gingoyon, Glen was taken to a remote area in Naga City at around 5:30 a.m. on May 11, where he was abandoned with his eyes covered.
Glen then went to the Naga City Police Station but did not file a blotter; he only called his wife to pick him up. During the investigation, Glen revealed that the man he was talking to in the CCTV footage—who was also forcibly taken into the van—was the mastermind behind the kidnapping. Glen expressed confusion as to why he was taken to Naga while the other man was left in Cebu City. The police have now identified that man as a person of interest.
Business motive
Gingoyon explained that Glen is a businessman and dealer of second-hand vehicles, and the person of interest has a similar business. Three months prior, the person of interest approached Glen to pawn two vehicles—a Nissan Terra and a Toyota Innova—for P1.8 million. Glen found a financier who accepted the pawn with a monthly interest of P50,000.
Glen paid the person of interest, but when the vehicles needed to be redeemed, the suspect requested another financier to pawn the cars again to pay off the first pawn. Glen agreed but charged P150,000 in interest for three months, which the person of interest accepted. However, just as the payment was about to be transferred via bank, the white van and gray Vios arrived, and they were forced into the vehicles.
Possible syndicate
Gingoyon suspects that the person of interest and the kidnappers are connected, and they are investigating whether a larger syndicate is behind the scheme. "We are looking into whether there is a group behind these pawning or selling of vehicles without proper documents," Gingoyon said.
The police, in coordination with the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) 7, are also checking if the person of interest is involved in car theft modus operandi such as "rent-tangay" or "rent-sangla." Glen and his wife have formally visited the Mabolo Police Station to file a case against those involved in his kidnapping.
