How can a policeman with a salary of P8,000 a month amass six properties, including a four-story commercial building worth P17 million?
The question cropped up yesterday during the Senate hearing looking into the murder of Korean businessman Jee Ick-Joo last year in Clark, Pampanga.
SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel, accused of strangling to death Jee inside Camp Crame on Oct. 18, 2016, has declared assets worth P17 million based on his 2015 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and net worth (SALN) as reported by the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
CIDG Directo Roel Obusan said Sta. Isabel also owns real properties worth P14.443-million and another P2.885-million in personal properties. He also has a declared liability of P3.30-million.
“Sta. Isabel has a real property or house and lot… He has five (houses and lots), your honor, all in Bagumbong, Caloocan city and one in Cubao, Quezon City where he owns a commercial building, a four-story commercial building,” Obusan told the committee.
Upon Sen. Grace Poe’s questioning, Sta. Isabel admitted he only receives an P8,000 monthly salary, but attributed their wealth to his wife who runs their business. He also claimed he has outstanding debts.
During the hearing, Senator Panfilo Lacson urged the PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to immediately conduct a case conference to discuss and consolidate all evidences pertaining to Jee’s death and identify the cops and civilians involved in the murder.
Lacson said he fears the probability of the case getting dismissed for lack of strong evidence that would pin down Jee’s killers as they attempted to extract more information from the SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel, who allegedly carried out the murder in the guise of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.
Lacson said he is worried the Korean’s slay case could be dismissed by the courts due to reasonable doubt unless both the PNP and NBI join forces to resolve the case. He noted that the PNP considers Sta. Isabel a suspect, but the NBI does not.
Sta. Isabel, during his testimony, denied he was the one who orchestrated Jee’s abduction from his residence at Friendship Subdivision in Angeles City, Pampanga but his superior, PSupt. Raphael Dumlao, who is also a laywer.
Sta. Isabel said Dumlao called the shots and asked him to agree to a “scenario” with the promise he would eventually be cleared from the case.
Dumlao, who was also present during the hearing, denied Sta. Isabel’s allegations. He also denied he knew Sta. Isabel very well.
“I did not authorize such an operation against Jee. In fact, the people I was with were not from my unit. I do not know about their claim that they were shown a warrant. I don’t know them for that long,” Dumlao told the Senate committee. (HANNAH TORREGOZA)