Friday, February 3, 2017

NATION | 4 NBI execs sacked over Korean’s kidnap-slay


Four top officials of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have been relieved after they were implicated in the kidnapping and murder of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo in October last year. File photo


MANILA, Philippines - Four top officials of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have been relieved after they were implicated in the kidnapping and murder of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo in October last year.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the four NBI officials –  deputy director for investigation services Jose Yap, National Capital Region (NCR) director Ricardo Diaz, head agent Darwin Lising and Task Force against illegal drugs head Roel Bolivar – were reassigned to different units.

Supt. Rafael Dumlao, the alleged mastermind of the Jee kidnap-slay, implicated the four NBI officials.

Yap was reassigned as officer-in-charge of the bureau’s information and communications technology division and was replaced by deputy director for intelligence Vicente de Guzman III.

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Diaz was recalled to his mother unit, the NBI regional operations service and was replaced by assistant regional director Rommel Vallejo.

Lising, on the other hand, was assigned to Bicol while Bolivar was reassigned to the office of the director and was replaced by his deputy Jonathan Galicia.

Dumlao has been tagged as the brains behind Jee’s kidnap-slay based on testimonies of fellow policemen Senior Police Officer 3 Ricky Sta. Isabel and NBI striker Jerry Omlang.

The reshuffle came after NBI director Dante Gierran met with Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa last Wednesday at the office of Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

The NBI and PNP have agreed to conduct a joint investigation of Jee’s kidnapping and killing.
For the police, the team leader will be Senior Supt. Glenn Dumlao, head of PNP’s Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG), while the NBI team will be under assistant director Medardo Delemos.

The Department of Justice is set to conduct a reinvestigation on the kidnap-slay case in a hearing this afternoon.

Glenn Dumlao, who is not related to suspect Rafael Dumlao, said that the alleged mastermind of the Jee killing warned investigators that the group that kidnapped the Korean is a big gang.

Senior Supt. Dumlao said there is a possibility that a syndicate was behind the killing of Jee, who was kidnapped from his house in Angeles City, Pampanga but was reportedly killed inside a parked vehicle in PNP headquarters at Camp Crame, Quezon City.

He assured Rafael Dumlao that he would help him if he cooperates in the investigation.
But Rafael Dumlao told him, “Hindi nyo sila kaya (you cannot stop them).”

“I told him if you keep on fearing them, you would suffer alone, yung mga kasama mo nasa labas (your cohorts are free outside). Ibangon mo ang imahe ng (Raise up the image of the) PNP,” Senior Supt. Dumlao told Rafael Dumlao.

The AKG chief told Rafael Dumlao that President Duterte, PNP chief Dela Rosa and NBI’s Gierran would make sure all the people behind the killing of Jee would be prosecuted and convicted.
He refused to give more details on the claims of Rafael Dumlao, whose statement has yet to be sworn to before a prosecutor.

The AKG chief said the PNP and the NBI are now working together to ensure the conviction of the people behind the killing of Jee.

He said of the statements gathered by the AKG from Sta. Isabel, Rafael Dumlao, Jee’s housemaid Marissa Dawis and Omlang, only the statement of Sta. Isabel did not jibe with that of the others.
Although not yet admitted as formal evidence, the statement of Rafael Dumlao would help investigators pursue other angles in the killing of Jee, he said.

“It (Rafael Dumlao’s statement) is an eye opener that we have another venue for our investigation,” Glenn Dumlao added.

Meanwhile, sacked NBI official Diaz declined to talk to reporters after Rafael Dumlao said he knew about the kidnapping and death of Jee.

An NBI official said the bureau is still waiting for a document that will detail the parameters of the ongoing investigation.

Omlang, an NBI errand boy who served at the bureau’s Anti-Human Trafficking Division and allegedly became a driver of agent Lising, said Rafael Dumlao was the mastermind behind Jee’s kidnapping and killing.

Lising denied that Omlang was his driver, saying he could not afford to hire one.

Saying he has lost trust in the NBI, President Duterte included the agency in the ongoing purge of the corrupt and scalawags in government.

“As of now, there are no policemen (involved in drug operations) in the entire country… and I want to add, even the NBI bureau is suspended from enforcing drug laws. Kasali kayo, kasi nawala na akong tiwala sa inyo (You’re included because I have lost trust in you),” he said in a speech in Davao City yesterday.

Duterte reiterated that only the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) led by retired police general Isidro Lapeña and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are now empowered to conduct anti-drug operations.

He said he would declare drugs as a national security threat to enable him to use the military in pursuit of his vow to eradicate the apparatus of illegal drugs in the country.

“I still have to write the proclamation (or) an executive order but I have taken in AFP, and raise the issue of drugs as national security threat so I can call all the Armed Forces to assist,” the President said.

“In the meantime, there will be a cleansing, a purge inside Crame and the NBI,” Duterte added.
He again showed the audience the thick list of narco-politicians who have been identified as protectors of the drug trade. There are around 6,000 local officials, barangay captains, judges and cops in the order of battle.

Duterte spoke anew about his frustrations about corruption in the law enforcement branch and the proliferation of illegal drugs during his speech before the 38th national convention of the Philippine Association of Water Districts (PAWD) at the SMX Convention Center in SM Lanang Premiere, Davao City yesterday.

Duterte has ordered the suspension of Operation Tokhang operations under the PNP last weekend, asking the PDEA to take the lead role. The various drug units of the police were also directed not to conduct operations following the uproar on the killing of the Korean executive.

He also reminded director Gierran about the standards he set when he appointed him as NBI chief. 

Angeles City cops charged

Authorities filed charges of kidnap-for-ransom and robbery against seven Angeles City policemen who have been relieved after the officers were accused of illegal detention and extortion of three Korean tourists last Dec. 30.

Those charged before the Prosecutor’s Office in Angeles City and San Fernando were former police station 5 head Chief Insp. Wendell Arinas, his deputy Senior Insp. Rolando Yutuc, Police Officer 3 Roentjen Domingo, PO2 Ruben Rodriguez, Jose Yumul, Rommel Manicdao, Richard King Agapito and PO1 Jayson Ibe and Mark Joseph Pineda. With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Christina Mendez, Ghio Ong, Ding Cervantes, Emmanuel Tupas

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