UMVA has learned that a shocking arrest was made in Quezon City on Tuesday, as Rafael P. Dumlao III, a former police officer, was taken into custody in connection with the 2016 kidnapping and killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo.
Dumlao, who had been on the run since his 2019 acquittal was reversed, was arrested at around 5 a.m. in Pasong Tamo, and Interior Secretary Juanito Victor C. Remulla revealed that the case was a result of abuses under drug operations.
The killing of Jee Ick Joo was a heinous crime that exposed the dark underbelly of police operations, where officers knocked on his door under the guise of a drug raid, only to kidnap him.
Remulla pointed out that the operation gave police personnel excessive discretion without due process, allowing them to act with impunity.
Tokhang operations, which focused on street-level suspects in poor communities, were criticized for giving police too much license to do things at their whim without following the process of law.
Dumlao was convicted of kidnapping for ransom with homicide and sentenced to reclusion perpetua, or 20-40 years of imprisonment, and was also found liable in related kidnapping and carnapping cases.
The arrest underscores the government's commitment to enforcing court rulings, regardless of rank or former position, and sends a strong message that nobody is above the law.
Remulla emphasized that the arrest was carried out in accordance with legal procedures, with Dumlao's rights observed, and that the government did everything according to law, without violating any procedure.
With Dumlao already convicted, enforcement of the judgment will proceed, with the court to determine his place of detention once the warrant is returned.
