By Jeffrey Damicog
An Angeles City court issued Thursday an amended hold departure order against Police Superintendent Rafael Dumlao III so that he will not be able to sneak out of the country through any of its airports and seaports.
Police Superintendent Rafael Dumlao III (ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO)
“The Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration is directed to prevent accused P/Supt. Rafael Dumlao III a.k.a. ‘Sir Dumlao’ from utilizing all airports and seaports of the Philippine islands to escape and flee to another country during the pendency of the cases,” read the amended HDO issued by Judge Irin Zenaida Buan of the Angeles City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 58.
Buan made the amendment in response to the urgent ex-parte motion seeking to amend the HDO, which was filed yesterday morning by prosecutors of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
In its motion, DOJ prosecutors informed the magistrate that the original HDO issued last Wednesday “merely specified that the BID (Bureau of Immigration and Deportation) at the NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport), Pasay City as the only office ordered to hold the departure of accused Dumlao.”
“The Honorable Court must know that there are other international airports and seaports in the Philippines,” explained the motion signed by Senior Assistant State Prosecutors Juan Pedro Navera and Olivia Laroza-Torrevillas and Assistant State Prosecutor Ethel Rea Suril.
“The People stress that directing only the BID in NAIA would render inutile the very purpose of the HDO since there are other airports and seaports where accused can clearly and easily depart from to escape and seek refuge to another country,” the prosecutors argued.
Dumlao is facing before the RTC charges of kidnapping for ransom with homicide, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, and carnapping.
He was charged along with his co-accused SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel, retired policeman Gerardo “Ding” Santiago, and Jerry Omlang.
Jee was taken along with his maid Marisa Morquicho on October 18, 2016 from his home in Friendship Plaza Subdivision, Angeles City under the pretext that police were conducting anti-illegal drugs operations under “Oplan Tokhang.”
The Korean was brought to the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City where he was killed the same day. Morquicho was eventually released.
Even though the Korean was killed, the suspects still contacted Jee's wife, Kyung Jin Choi, on October 30, 2016 and demanded ransom for his release.
After a series of negotiations, Choi delivered P5 million in ransom money in front of the Central Town Mall in Porac, Pampanga on October 31, 2016.
On November 2, 2016, the suspects demanded an additional P4 million but Choi refused to so after they failed to show proof of life.