Authorities have arrested two more foreign nationals suspected of involvement in the abduction and murder of Chinese businessman Anson Que and his driver, Armanie Pabillo. The suspects were apprehended over the weekend in Boracay by operatives of the Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), according to Police Lieutenant General Edgar Okubo, head of the Special Investigation Task Group handling the case.
Que and Pabillo were kidnapped on March 29. Their lifeless bodies were discovered on April 9, dumped along a roadside in Rodriguez, Rizal. The autopsy revealed they were both strangled. Police reports noted that their bodies were placed in nylon bags, bound with rope, and had their faces covered in duct tape.
Despite the victim’s family reportedly paying a ransom of P200 million, the perpetrators still went ahead with the killings. This has prompted further investigation into the motive and broader conspiracy behind the crime.
Three suspects—Ricardo Austria David, Raymart Catequista, and David Tan Liao—were previously arrested and are currently in the custody of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG). The two newly arrested suspects are currently undergoing debriefing with the same unit.
One of the earlier suspects, David Tan Liao, implicated Anson Que’s own son, Ronxian Gou, also known as Alvin Que, as the alleged mastermind behind the crime. Although police initially treated the allegation with caution, Gou has been included in the preliminary investigation by the Department of Justice.
Authorities suspect that Liao, along with a certain Kelly Tan Lim and another unidentified individual, orchestrated the kidnapping and murder. Police have offered a P10 million reward for the arrest of Wenli Gong—also known by several aliases including Kelly Tan Lim, Bao Wenli, Axin, and Huang Yanling—who is believed to have lured Que to the location where he was abducted.
Investigators also named two casino junket groups, 9 Dynasty Group and White Horse Group, as having allegedly received and transferred the ransom money paid by Que’s family. The case remains under intensive investigation as authorities pursue all leads to bring all those responsible to justice.