Bersamin orders hasty apprehension of cop involved in Jee Ick Joo slay

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin wants to hasten the apprehension of former police officer Rafael Dumlao III, who has been tagged in the murder of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo in 2016.

Bersamin gave the directive last May 21, 2025, with the aim to support the Philippine National Police’s mission to restore public trust and build capacity with international partners as regards the resolution of high profile cases involving foreign nationals.

A manhunt order was directed by the Executive Secretary to have Dumlao arrested.

Bersamin told GMA Integrated News that there’s a P1 million bounty for Dumlao.

Last year, the Court of Appeals (CA) reversed the acquittal of Dumlao in the kidnapping and killing of Jee Ick Joo and instead sentenced the cop to reclusion perpetua.

According to the Supreme Court, the CA Thirteenth Division granted the petition of the government and sentenced Dumlao to reclusion perpetua without eligibility for parole.

Jee was abducted from his Angeles City residence on October 18, 2016, by armed men allegedly pretending to be carrying out an anti-drug operation.

He was strangled to death inside the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame. His remains were burned and flushed down the toilet.

Meanwhile, it was on May 22 when a coordination and international cooperation meeting was convened to address organized crime and the threats to foreigners, including Korean nationals in the country.

The said meeting was conducted by Undersecretary Gilberto Cruz, executive director of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), and was attended by representatives from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and its consular representatives, officials of the Department of Tourism (DOT), and high-ranking officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

The purpose of the dialogue was to establish a unified response plan regarding the increasingly violent acts centered on South Korean nationals, especially in areas populated by foreign tourists.

The increase in violent incidents has raised concerns and affected the country's overall economic stability. —KG, GMA Integrated News