PNP: Damning evidence against cop in kidnapping of Korean trader

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday said it had “damning evidence” against one of its men, SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel, who has been tagged in the kidnapping of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo in Angeles City last year.

“So many damning evidence ay na-gather natin against sa mga suspects, and ’yung allegation na binabato ni Sta. Isabel sa PNP, e mali po lahat yun, dahil sa totoo lang, we have the goods on him, before the incident, during and after the incident, di niya maipagkakaila,” PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group chief Senior Supt. Glenn Dumlao said in a press conference.

(We have gathered so many damning evidence against the suspects, and the allegations Sta. Isabel is throwing against the PNP are wrong because truth be told, we have the goods on him, before the incident, during, and after the incident, he can’t deny it.)

PNP chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa earlier ordered manhunt operations against Sta. Isabel, who turned out to have been at Camp Crame since Thursday.

According to Dela Rosa, Sta. Isabel has also been linked to a previous kidnapping case prior to the Korean businessman’s abduction last October.

“Sabi ko nga dapat in-inquest inyo kaagad ’yan para hindi na makasibat yung tao na ’yan. Noong nalaman namin na merong palang previous kidnapping nung miyembro pa siya ng DAID sa NPD, meron din doon Intsik na kinidnap pero na-dismiss ’yung kaso, lalong lumalakas yung aking kuwan na … dapat hindi na ito magtatagal dito,” a fuming Dela Rosa said in an interview over dzMM radio on Friday.

(I said he should have undergone inquest immediately so he won’t be able to leave. When we found out he had a previous kidnapping case when he was still a member of the District Anti-Illegal Drugs of the Northern Police District, there was a case involving a Chinese national who had been kidnapped but it was dismissed, my hunch got stronger that … this should not take long here.)

Sta. Isabel denied involvement in the kidnapping of the Korean businessman, but Dumlao insisted that all evidence pointed to him—from bank withdrawals to using his own family’s car.

Police found a video of the abduction caught on surveillance camera showing a car owned by Sta. Isabel’s wife.

“Ngayon siya pa ang matapang na nagsasabi na na-frame up siya, na binabaliktad siya ng kapulisan,” Dumlao said.

(Now he even had the guts to say that he was being framed up, that the police is reversing his statements.)

Dumlao also said Sta. Isabel was not alone on the abduction of the businessman.

“Hopefully di-diretso ang kaso, we are looking for some cohorts in here, hindi lang po siya magisa,” he said.

(Hopefully the case will push through, we are looking for some cohorts in here, he is not alone.)