The person you see is Rian Bernardo, reported to be residing in Quezon City. Born on September 30, 2000, she was described as kind, cheerful, and a loving daughter.

Rian had one sibling, and they lived quietly in their home in Quezon City with their mother. At age 20, her outward appearance was undeniably beautiful.

According to her friends, despite Rian’s beauty, she was not aloof. In fact, she was one of those people you could easily approach if you had a problem. Some described her as the “full package” because she was also intelligent.

For them, whoever won her heart would be an incredibly lucky person. In August 2021, people were happy for this man, as Rian herself posted a photo of them celebrating their seventh “monthaversary.”

The man who captured her heart was identified as Mar Christian Ore. He was born and raised in Dasmariñas, Cavite. After graduating from high school, Mar went straight to De La Salle University, Dasmariñas.

Like his fiancée, Mar came from a large family, with four male siblings. As expected, Mar incessantly shared photos of his beautiful fiancée, treating it like an achievement to have won Rian over, which their friends did not mind.

For them, what man would not be proud if their fiancée looked like a celebrity? If you look at the comment section of every photo Mar posted, they often received positive and happy messages.

Though both were always busy with their respective jobs, they made sure to always find a way to spend time together. It became a routine for them to travel and explore different places.

In October 2021, they told their families they were going on a vacation to the province.

The Missing Persons Report

However, a post from Rian’s sibling on October 29 revealed a desperate plea to the public: if anyone saw or spotted Rian, they should immediately inform the family, as they did not want to lose her.

In addition to such comments, some people tagged Raffy Tulfo’s program to draw more attention to Rian’s disappearance. Others, in desperation, suggested consulting a fortune teller to learn her whereabouts.

Some recommended that Rian’s family contact Mar, as he was the last person seen with her. But it turned out Mar was also unreachable.

People who did not personally know the couple quickly formed a theory that Mar himself might have killed his fiancée. They immediately checked the young man’s social media in a desperate attempt to find evidence, looking for signs or red flags in his behavior.

But because his posted photos and videos were filtered or carefully selected, the couple’s relationship looked like any other. If they had disagreements, they quickly resolved them. Even on Rian’s social media, there were no signs of abuse.

On social media, the Ore family denied that Mar was the type of person to kill. They also said that even they could not get a reply from the young man.

Like Rian’s family, they were worried about his condition because he was not answering calls or texts, despite repeated attempts. Since the couple had been uncontactable for more than 24 hours, their families went to the nearest precinct to file a missing person’s report.

The authorities quickly looked into the case, and while awaiting search results, Rian’s sibling tirelessly appealed and posted on social media about her missing sister. To speed up the search and inform more people, her friends and family constantly shared every post she made on social media.

An Expanding Mystery

Days after the news broke, an interview revealed to the public that the couple was not the only ones missing. Four other people were also gone, identified as Mark Karaan, Shane Despe, Eugene Nora, and Polino Sebastian.

A woman, who declined to show her face on camera, also appealed to the public and authorities for help in finding her grandson, Mark Karaan. Like Rian’s boyfriend, Mark was also born and raised in Dasmariñas and graduated from the University of the East.

When reporters interviewed the authorities for an update, the spokesperson shared that two women provided information that might help the case of the six missing people. They were named Perly Labe and Maria Jenelyn Buaya.

They stated that the eight friends had decided to go to a beach resort in Matabungkay, Batangas province, together. The two said they all agreed to go to the beach before Undas (All Saints’ Day) to avoid traffic and the rush of people visiting cemeteries.

Carrying their swimsuits, personal items, and chargers for their gadgets, they happily met Rian at the pickup point in Dasmariñas. Using a gray Mitsubishi Xpander, the friends excitedly traveled toward the town of Lian.

When they arrived at the beach resort in Matabungkay, the friends wasted no time. They swam, drank, sang, and made the most of every moment they were at the beach, unsure when they would all be together again.

According to the sworn statements of the two women, after recovering from their hangovers, they decided to go home late that night. Although the drive back to their homes took several hours due to the many people returning from vacation in Batangas, their journey was slow.

When they reached Tagaytay-Nasugbu Road, the traffic flow became even slower. The seven friends entertained themselves by exchanging the photos they took at the beach, planning to post them on social media.

However, none of these features were ever seen by their friends or family online. Labe and Buaya claimed that while traffic was slow, an SUV behind them aggressively cut off their vehicle.

Due to the slow movement of cars, they were allegedly shocked when several men emerged from the van. In a matter of seconds, six of their friends were abducted by these men.

Given the speed of the events, Labe and Buaya said they had no choice but to run away from the Mitsubishi while the men were busy abducting their companions. When they were sure no one was following them, they finally gathered the courage to approach the local police with jurisdiction over the incident.

Because the assailants also took the victims’ vehicle, the original missing person’s report was escalated to kidnapping and carnapping. The authorities advised the families of the six to ensure their cell phones were always on, just in case someone called them to demand a ransom.

However, suspiciously, 48 hours had passed, but they received neither a call nor a text. Some were not surprised because the victims’ families were not wealthy, making the motive for the kidnapping a mystery.

The case deepened when it seemed the culprits were not after the vehicle, as the Mitsubishi Xpander was found in a remote, bushy part of Barangay Bunggo, Calamba, Laguna.

Conflicting Theories and Identities

While authorities investigated the abduction, their primary motive centered on Mark Karaan’s alleged involvement with illegal drugs. Investigators suggested the abductors might have been someone Mark had a conflict with over drugs or a powerful drug lord he angered.

However, Mark’s family strongly denied the accusation, instead blaming his friends for being a bad influence on the young man. Mar Christian’s family also resented the connection to illegal drugs, stating the allegations were untrue and that he was merely caught up in the situation.

Some suspected the two surviving women, questioning how they managed to escape so easily. Others suggested Rian and the others were merely collateral damage, believing Mar was the real target of the kidnappers.

By looking closely at his social media, you would know he was part of a company called “Empowered Consumerism.” If you painstakingly checked his profile, you would see he either held a lot of money or constantly posted about others in Empowered Consumerism who earned large amounts of money in just a few weeks.

He proudly claimed that even high school dropouts or young people could earn a lot.

The company, Empowered Consumerism, was widely commented on Reddit as a multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme. Essentially, you could only earn money in two ways: by selling products or recruiting people.

Almost everyone who commented on that thread advised against investing without thoroughly researching the background of EC. Other Filipinos shared that the company had changed its name several times, making them doubt the legitimacy of Empowered Consumerism.

People theorized that the reason for the frequent name changes might be to evade or hide from the country’s laws. Their theory suggested Mar might have scammed someone, and the angry victim hired hitmen to eliminate him.

However, the young man’s family denied he was a scammer. Instead of getting angry at the accusers, Mar’s family pleaded for help in finding him.

Their plea, however, was not heeded by the public. As expected, the next person they attacked and scrutinized was the lifestyle of his fiancée, Rian.

The Syndicate Allegation

Some wondered how she maintained an affluent lifestyle at such a young age. It was then revealed that Rian Bernardo was a screen name; her real name on her birth certificate was Carlo Faezon. In short, Rian was a transgender woman.

Although she was not biologically female, she studied until she graduated. In 2019, at age 19, even though she knew many would raise an eyebrow, she shared her former appearance before her cosmetic surgeries.

Some people could only question themselves: where and how did Rian get the money to pay for the operations?

For some, even though she looked wealthy, she never posted about what she did or how she earned money. So, some on social media suggested she might be involved in illegal activities.

The abducted victims received more backlash when police interviews revealed their second motive: Rian’s connection to a Chinese national.

Authorities said that while Rian was dating Mar, she was also having a relationship with a Chinese man. For the critics, the Chinese man might have become jealous and ordered the abduction of Rian and her companions. Consequently, instead of pity, Rian faced more judgment.

A profile also circulated, alleging the six victims were part of a group that targeted Chinese nationals residing in the Philippines. This “gay syndicate” allegedly held up and kidnapped Chinese people for large ransoms.

The theory claimed the mastermind was Sin and Eugene, and their plan started by finding wealthy Chinese men on dating apps. The allegation was that the two would use their charm and beauty to lure the Chinese men. If the men agreed to meet, they would execute the plan with their companions.

The Chinese men would be held up or kidnapped, and they would only be released if they paid a large ransom.

This theory gained traction with the public, strengthening their belief that Rian could afford breast and nose surgery and whatever she desired because of the money paid by their victims.

However, what people could not understand was, if a Chinese man was truly behind the abduction of the six, how did they know the exact location and route the friends would take?

Some suggested the two surviving women tipped off the Chinese man. But others speculated their testimony was fabricated.

The CCTV Evidence

On November 3, 2021, authorities proved the two surviving women were not lying. CCTV footage obtained at 5:00 AM on October 30 on Tagaytay-Nasugbu Road showed that traffic was indeed slow.

Moments later, several men quickly emerged from a white van and approached Rian’s Mitsubishi. They forcibly tried to open the SUV door.

The two surviving women, who later went to the precinct, were seen exiting together. As they walked away, a man, identified as Mark Karaan, was seen running behind them.

He was immediately pursued, but the two women seemed invincible until they were completely out of the road. While the abduction was happening, several motorists drove by.

A man on a motorcycle clearly saw what was happening, but out of fear of getting involved, he quickly turned his motorcycle away. Although other people witnessed the incident, none dared to leave their vehicles or even call the police.

According to investigators, the Mitsubishi was cornered by four vans, preventing it from escaping. The occupants of the vehicles were estimated to be 12 to 14 men.

Authorities believed the incident was not a simple road rage incident but a carefully planned targeting of the friends. The authorities never found out why or how they knew the route and the vehicle used.

Some people who witnessed the abduction managed to capture the license plate numbers of the vans. Unfortunately, when the police checked the plates with the LTO (Land Transportation Office), they were found to be fake, leading the investigation to a dead end.

Unanswered Justice

Although the investigation into the incident is still ongoing, people wondered why the victims’ families were not making more noise on social media or appealing to different government agencies or news outlets to pressure the authorities to resolve the case.

This led many to firmly believe the victims were indeed involved in illegal activities. Some suggested the friends were not found because they were killed and buried on a private property. Others speculated their remains might be found at the bottom of Taal Lake.

As of this recording, even though four years have passed, six families are still crying for justice and grieving the loss of their loved ones. In the report, even though the former PNP Chief, General Dionardo Carlos, ordered the Anti-Kidnapping Group to investigate the case, it remains unresolved.