Manila: The Philippines’ presidential palace on Tuesday apologised to the people of South Korea following the kidnap and murder of an expatriate businessman.
Jee Ick Joo, an executive of South Korean shipping company Hanjin, is believed to have been killed while in the custody of rogue police officers at the Philippine National Police’s main headquarters, Camp Crame, in suburban Quezon City recently.
The businessman, who had been living for several years in the Philippines together with his wife, was abducted by police in October 18, 2016 from his residence in Angeles, Pampanga in Central Luzon.
“We apologise to the Korean government and its people for this irreparable loss,” Ernesto Abella, presidential spokesman said during a press briefing in Malacanan, the presidential palace.
The palace spokesman said President Duterte and Filipinos expressed sympathy to Jee’s widow, Kyungjin Choi.
Abella said all means would be exhausted to bring justice to the family of Jee.
“We commit the full force of the law to ensure that justice is served and not delayed,” Abella said.
The abduction and slaying of Jee comes at a time when the nearly seven-months-old administration has been receiving criticisms for systematic extrajudicial killings of suspected drug addicts — and the seeming inability of law enforcement agencies to curb crime such as that involving the South Korean.
Much worse, the personnel entrusted to enforce the law are the ones now being tagged in the killing of Jee.
A police sergeant, Ricky Santa Isabel, is the chief suspect in the kidnap-murder of the South Korean, who allegedly was killed inside the premises of Camp Crame, despite payment by his family of the P5 million (Dh367,934) demanded by the abductors.
Police anti-kidnapping group suspected
Authorities have already arrested Santa Isabel and are looking for his accomplices, who are said to be members of the police anti-kidnapping group.
Philippine National Police Director-General Ronald Dela Rosa has been heavily criticised for the incident.
Senators Ralph Recto, Panfilo Lacson and Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said Dela Rosa needs to cleanse the police ranks of undesirables.
“That should be his battle plan for the next 365 days. To leave behind a PNP purged of the crooks who give the whole organisation a bad name,” Recto said.
Recto said De la Rosa “should dedicate his every waking hour thereafter to disprove his critics and to show that he deserves his continued stay in his post.”
Recto said he was not joining calls for de la Rosa to quit or be fired.
“But if you are not ordered to resign from PNP, then reform the PNP,” was Recto’s message to the national police chief.
“Start with acknowledging that problems do exist. Then follow it up with an action plan on how to solved them. Don’t answer with excuses or alibis. This is not the time to be a denial king,” Recto said.
“Heads must roll. Consider a major reshuffle, too,” the minority leader said.
