CAMP JULIAN OLIVAS, Pampanga – Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Dir. Gen. Ronald dela Rosa has ordered the relief of the entire unit of the Angeles City Police Station 5 (ACPO) together with their officers in connection with the alleged robbery, extortion, kidnapping, and illegal detention of three South Korean tourists in December last year.
Chief Supt. Aaron N Aquino, Police Regional Office 3 (PRO3) director disclosed this during a case conference Tuesday with representatives of the Korean Community Association in Angeles City which was also attended by local government units (LGUs) and all city and provincial police directors in the region.
Aquino said the 44 relieved policemen include the seven police officers who have been placed under restrictive custody after they were accused in illegally detaining and extorting money from the three Korean nationals. The Central Luzon police director withheld the names of the newly sacked officers due to a pending investigation.
“Wala pa naman sa ngayon,” Aquino said when asked if any of them will be transferred to Mindanao.
Aquino also said that Lee Ki Hoon, one of the Korean victims, has also filed robbery and kidnapping charges against the seven cops.
Lee recently returned to the Philippines to give a formal statement against PO1 Jayson Ibe, PO1 Ruben Rodriguez II, PO1 Mark Joseph Pineda, PO2 Richard King Agapito, PO3 Arnold Nagayo, PO3 Roentjen Domingo, and PO3 Gomerson Evangelista before the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). He was reportedly accompanied by witnesses Tomas Jung, who allegedly gave the ransom to the accused officers and a house helper.
Yesterday the Department of Justice (DoJ) issued subpoenas against suspects for the conduct of the reinvestigation of the kidnap-slay case of Korean business man Jee Ick Joo.
Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera issued the subpoenas after the Angeles City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 58 ordered the reinvestigation of the case of kidnapping for ransom with homicide it is handling.
Those who were issued subpoenas are respondents Supt. Rafael Dumlao, Jerry Omlang, Gerard Santiago, PO2 Christopher Baldovino, SPO4 Roy Villegas, SPO4 Ramon Yalung, and SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel.
Also issued subpoenas as respondents are Christopher Alan Gruenberg and Jee’s household helper, Marisa Dawis Morquicho.
Apart from the respondents, the DoJ also summoned Jee’s wife Kyujin Choi and Sr. Supt. Glenn Dumlao, chief of the Philippine National Police-Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG). (with a report from Jeffrey G. Damicog)
(FRANCO G. REGALA)