Public Statement: A call for justice, an appeal for better peace and order in the Philippines

With outrage and grief, we condemn in the strongest possible terms the heinous, barbaric kidnapping and brutal murders of Anson Que—a visionary businessman, a pillar of philanthropy—and his driver, whose life was equally precious, equally sacred. These acts are not merely crimes; they are an assault on the soul of our nation, a grotesque violation of humanity itself, and a declaration of war against the principles of justice, decency, and peace that bind us as a society. Anson Que was more than a name; he was a testament to the power of enterprise wedded to compassion. His driver Armanie Pabillo, whose name we must also etch into our collective memory, was a father, a son, a worker—a man whose dignity and right to safety were callously obliterated. Their lives were not taken; they were stolen. Their futures were not ended; they were defiled. This is not tragedy—it is atrocity. Let us be unequivocal: These heinous acts are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a festering rot that threatens to erode the foundations of our nation. When criminals believe they may kidnap and slaughter with impunity, when the innocent are sacrificed on the altar of greed and lawlessness, we are no longer merely a society in crisis—we are a society in peril. The implications are catastrophic: Investor confidence withers. Tourism reels. Families tremble behind locked doors. We reject—utterly and absolutely—empty platitudes, the hollow theories, the bureaucratic inertia that too often follow such horrors. No more excuses. No more deflection with side stories. No more tolerating the intolerable. We demand action—swift, unrelenting, and transparent—to bring every perpetrator, conspirator, and enabler of this evil to account. Let the wheels of justice turn with ferocious speed, and let their verdicts echo as a warning to those who would dare repeat such infamy. We call for an unyielding reinforcement of the rule of law—not through rhetoric, but through resolute, systemic reform. Strengthen our law enforcement agencies with resources, training, and accountability. Eradicate the culture of impunity that emboldens predators. Restore faith in our institutions by proving, through deeds, that no one is above the law. The safety of every citizen, every visitor, every resident, every child playing in the streets in the whole Philippines must become non-negotiable. An attack on the Philippines' peace and order is an attack on the stability of our society and our ideals as a democracy. To the families of Anson Que and Armanie Pabillo: Your anguish is ours. Your loss is a wound carved into the heart of our whole Filipino nation. We pledge to you—their memories will not be buried with them. We will honor them by fighting, unceasingly, for the justice they deserve and the peace they were denied. Let this be our covenant: From this day forward, let cowardice and cruelty meet not with silence, but with the thunderous roar of a people united. Let the Philippines be known not for the crimes that stain its soil, but for the unshakeable resolve of its citizens to reclaim their dignity, their security, and their future. Justice for Anson Que. Justice for Armanie Pabillo. Justice for all. The time to act is now! Signed,