PHL apologizes to South Korea as inquiry builds up
THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT on Tuesday apologized to South Korea over the killing of a Korean businessman while in police custody here.
In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto C. Abella “expressed the sympathies and condolences” of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to the Korean people and Choi Kyungjin, the widow of slain Ick Joo Jee.
“We apologize to the South Korean government and people for this irreparable loss,” Mr. Abella also said.
Acknowledging that the case of Mr. Jee’s killing indicates “a depth of corruption within the government system,” the Palace spokesman nevertheless assured that the Philippine government “commits the full force of the law to ensure that justice is served and not delayed.”
“To the Korean people, please accept our sincerest and deepest regrets,” he added.
Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Vitaliano N. Aguirre II on Monday spoke in defense of Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director- General Ronald “Bato” M. dela Rosa even amid the seemingly conflicting statements between the two officials on Mr. Jee’s killing.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Aguirre said: “Alam po ninyo, ang talagang thrust ng Duterte administration ngayong war on drugs, at ang simbolo nyan ay ang kapulisan sa pangunguna ni [Mr. Dela Rosa] (You know, the thrust of the Duterte administration and symbol of the police force in this war against illegal drugs is led by Mr. Dela Rosa).”
Mr. Aguirre also said: “Kung gusto mong i- destabilize ang Duterte administration, sisirain mo muna ang kanyang pinaghahawakan, yung kapulisan (If you want to destabilize the Duterte administration, you will first destroy the institution on his watch, the police force).”
Calls for Mr. Dela Rosa’s resignation followed after the Jan. 19 Department of Justice (DoJ) resolution stating that Mr. Jee was strangled inside the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, by Special Police Officer (SPO) 3 Ricky M. Sta. Isabel.
Mr. Dela Rosa, in a press conference on Monday, recalled seeking Mr. Duterte’s advice if he should resign, but the President said: “No. Magtrabaho ka ( Work).”
Other than Mr. Sta. Isabel, others facing kidnapping for ransom with homicide charge before Angeles City, Pampanga Regional Trial Branch 58 are SPO4 Roy Villegas, Ramon V. Yalung, and four others so far identified only with the aliases “Pulis,” “Jerry,” “Ding,” and “Sir Dumlao.”
Two separate investigations are being done by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), under the DoJ, and the PNP-Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG).
DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS
Mr. Aguirre said yesterday that Mr. Sta. Isabel, the principal suspect in this case, submitted a statement to the NBI: “Ang sinabi nya dun, ang mastermind nila ay si Colonel Rafael Dumlao III,” the Justice secretary added.
Mr. Dela Rosa over the weekend relieved Mr. Dumlao, Mr. Sta. Isabel’s superior in the PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG), and placed him under restrictive custody.
Another Dumlao was also being implicated by Mr. Sta. Isabel’s wife, Jinky — Senior Superintendent Glenn Dumlao, head of the Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG), who appeared with Mr. Dela Rosa in Monday’s press conference at the PNP.
Mr. Dumlao has denied any relation with his namesake in the AIDG. On Monday, he also disputed Jinky Sta. Isabel’s claim that he went to the Sta. Isabel home before Mr. Jee’s murder.
Mr. Aguirre had earlier said Mrs. Sta. Isabel may be a witness in the case being built on Mr. Jee’s killing.
But Mr. Dela Rosa on Monday said: “We will consider lahat ng information na ibibigay niya but we will not be guided or we will not be dictated by the wishes nung asawa na yan, because for all we know, she is the wife of the main suspect. So bakit naman susundan kung ano gusto niya? Hindi niya kami pwede diktahan sa aming imbestigasyon.”
( We will consider all information she will give, but we will not be guided or we will not be dictated by the wishes of that wife, because for all we know, she is the wife of the main suspect. So why should we follow what she wants? She cannot dictate us in our investigation.)
For his part, Mr. Aguirre said yesterday the NBI told him about the golf club owned by Mr. Jee that was allegedly sent as payment to the funeral home where the Korean’s remains were brought: “Sinasabi sa akin ng NBI about sa golf club na ’ yan, sila yung nag- investigate daw sa funeral, eh wala. The following day, pumunta ang pulis, sumipot yung golf set (The NBI told me about the golf club, that when they investigated the funeral, it was not found. The following day, when the police went, the golf set appeared).”
Mr. Dela Rosa on Monday asked AKG head Mr. Dumlao if the golf set was “planted” as evidence. Mr. Dumlao said, “No sir.”
To recall, the NBI went to the Gream Funeral Services on Jan. 17 and invited five workers there for questioning. During their search, the golf set was not found, but the police found the set the following day, prompting Mr. Aguirre to say the evidence may have been “planted.”
The NBI investigation had also concluded that Mr. Jee’s remains were cremated and his ashes flushed down the toilet.
Mr. Aguirre has directed the NBI to investigate an agent’s involvement in the killing, as claimed by Mr. Dela Rosa.
For his part, NBI-National Capital Region Chief Ricardo Diaz, in a text message to reporters, said: “Do [ you] think the police will bring an [NBI] agent in their operation? And will an NBI agent join the police in an operation? It doesn’t happen.”
Asked about the seemingly conflicting direction in the investigations by the PNP and the DoJ, Mr. Aguirre said: “Yung magkaibang direction, conclusion na lang yan eh. The fact is parehong nag- iinvestigate yan. Ngayon malalaman lang natin kung magkaibang direction yang mga yan pagkatapos na matapos yung kanilang imbestigasyon. Tingnan natin, kung yung bang sa investigation report ay may pagkakaiba. Wala namang problema. Maaaring merong pagkakaiba.” — and