DARING KIDNAPPING IN BOHOL: Masked men abduct a civilian in broad daylight near Tagbilaran’s Dao Bus Terminal, sparking public outrage and calls for accountability. (Contributed photo)

A viral video showing four masked men in civilian clothes forcibly dragging an innocent man into a vehicle near a busy bus terminal in Tagbilaran City has triggered a sweeping public outcry, with a sitting judge, the country’s top lawyers’ organization and provincial police all demanding a full accounting of what happened.

The footage, which spread rapidly in social media after the incident on March 11, 2026 near the Dao Bus Terminal in Tagbilaran City, shows the men — their faces covered — seizing an adult male in broad daylight as onlookers watched without intervening.

No shots were fired and no badges were shown.

The silence of the crowd proved almost as alarming as the abduction itself.

“Walay nakahunahuna ug tabang ani? Marites mode lang gyud tanan?” wrote Bohol Regional Trial Court Judge Jennifer Marcos in a blistering Facebook post — roughly translated: “Did no one think to help? Everyone just went into gossip mode?”

The judge’s post, which quickly circulated alongside the video, was equal parts lament and indictment.

Addressing law enforcement agencies by name — the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the National Bureau of Investigation — Marcos warned that the individuals involved could be charged under multiple provisions, including Section 5, Section 11 and Section 7 of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, as well as Republic Act 10591, which governs illegal possession of firearms.

But her most pointed accusation was grounded in her own courtroom experience.

“You can attend my hearings on many criminal cases especially drugs and illegal possession of firearms and read transcripts to see for yourself how the accused will always say he has been kidnapped in this manner,” Marcos wrote. “And when I see videos like this, it only reinforces what I hear everyday in court.”

The judge also raised a geographically specific concern: that while similar operations were allegedly wound down in other provinces following the end of the Duterte administration, they have allegedly persisted in Bohol.

“Sa Bohol ra gapadayon?” she wrote — “Only in Bohol this continues?”

Marcos called on Governor Aris Aumentado, Tagbilaran City Mayor Jane Yap, the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Provincial Peace and Order Council, individual board members and city councilors to convene an investigation.

She also urged the Integrated Bar of the Philippines – Bohol Chapter to hold a public dialogue bringing together government officials and law enforcement agencies.

The IBP Bohol Chapter answered that call with an official statement condemning the incident in unambiguous terms.

In its declaration, the group described the video as depicting four masked individuals in civilian attire forcibly taking a man while a crowd of witnesses stood by — and said the passivity of those witnesses was itself a cause for alarm.

“Natural nga mahadlok ang ordinaryong mga tawo,” the IBP Bohol statement acknowledged — “It is natural for ordinary people to be afraid” — but added that precisely because so many were too frightened to speak, the organization felt compelled to speak for the Boholanos.

The group said it strongly condemned any crime carried out in broad daylight and in plain view of the public, calling it incompatible with a just and orderly society.

Of particular concern to the IBP was a pattern it said was emerging in public consciousness: the growing perception that incidents like this one could become a “new normal,” and that individuals seized in such a manner sometimes later appear in police records as having been arrested in drug-related operations — even when the lawfulness of such arrests remains unverified on a case-by-case basis.

The IBP said this pattern, whether real or perceived, reflected a dangerous erosion of public confidence in authorities and a deepening climate of fear.

The group called on police to immediately launch a thorough investigation to establish the facts and ensure that no one can be forcibly taken from the streets without a clear legal basis. It said it stood ready to cooperate with the Department of Justice and the judiciary to ensure accountability.

“Kon ang dautang binuhatan mahitabo sa atubangan sa publiko, dili angay nga mahabilin lamang ang mga tawo sa kahadlok ug kahilom,” the IBP statement read — “When wrongdoing happens before the public, it is not right to leave people in fear and silence.”

The Bohol Police Provincial Office confirmed Friday that an investigation was already underway.

Provincial Director PCOL Patricio C. Degay Jr. said the probe was initiated after the video sparked widespread concern.

As of Friday morning, however, the Tagbilaran City Police Station said no formal complaint or kidnapping report had been filed in connection with the footage.

Despite the absence of a formal complaint, police said they had begun reviewing closed-circuit television footage from around the Dao area. They are also coordinating with the Land Transportation Office in Tagbilaran to trace the plate number of the vehicle seen in the video, and are attempting to contact the person who uploaded the footage, as well as tricycle drivers and other individuals visible in the clip.

The Bohol PPO urged the public to refrain from spreading unverified information that could stoke panic, while simultaneously calling on anyone with direct knowledge of the incident to come forward.

Police said they remain committed to maintaining peace and order across the province as the investigation continues.

No arrests have been made.

The identity of the man seen being seized in the video has not been publicly established.