DoJ to end probe on ‘illegal’ arrest of Japanese woman this week

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Justice’s three-man fact-finding panel looking into the alleged abduction of a Japanese woman by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation said that its investigation was 60 percent completed.

The probers, led by Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III, made an ocular inspection at the NBI on Monday where they familiarized with the NBI Security and Management Division’s (SMD) operations.

The fact-finding panel, which also includes Justice Assistant Secretary Zabedin Azis and City Prosecutor Donald Lee, questioned former SMD chief Mario Garcia, who was recently relieved from his duty and placed on floating status, on how assignments are given to volunteer escorts. Baraan said that they wanted to know how a certain Chona Espina was able to deal with Noriyo Ohara, who, according to Garcia’s lawyer Oscar Raro, was “rescued by NBI agents.”

When asked by Baraan, officers present at the SMD office denied knowing Chona who, according to Inquirer columnist Ramon Tulfo, hung around the SMD office. Tulfo exposed Ohara’s case after the Japanese woman’s foster family (the Marzans of Bugallon, Pangasinan) asked for his help in “Isumbong Mo kay Tulfo” program over Radyo Inquirer DZIQ 990 AM.

The DoJ official also asked why Chona was allowed to deal with the Japanese woman for roughly a month, adding that she “took (Ohara) on trips to Baguio City (and) Tagaytay.”

According to Tulfo in his column “On Target,” the NBI detained Ohara for over a month after arresting her in Bugallon, Pangasinan, last October 29. Tulfo said SMD members were not armed with a mission order from NBI Director Magtanggol Gatdula when they arrested Ohara, an undocumented alien.

Tulfo, moreover, said SMD members allegedly demanded a P15-million ransom from Ohara’s foster family.

Ohara, according to Tulfo in his column, escaped to the Philippines after her father was killed by the Yakuza, knowing she would be killed next.

At one point during the investigation at the NBI, media members covering the activity were barred from the SMD office after Garcia’s lawyer Raro declared it “unfair to (his) client” that the investigation was being conducted in the presence of the media.

Raro declared the conduct of the investigation “very unfair” saying that “simply because it is a public office doesn’t mean you can conduct (the investigation) before the media.”

Baraan told media members outside the SMD office that the inspection was conducted to “check the physical arrangement of the office as well as procedures and who its personnel are.”

Baraan told reporters that they were 60 percent into the investigation and that they were hopeful that they would finish it by the end of the week.

He begged off from answering questions on who would face charges, whether criminal or administrative.

The DoJ official was mum on other details of the investigation, saying that they were still looking into the veracity of the varied statements of Garcia, Chona and the Marzans.

He said the DoJ “will leave no stone unturned here.”

But Raro challenged the fact-finding team to “summon Ohara to say what happened (to her).”

“Why is it that until now, they have not summoned Ohara? Because Ohara will disprove Tulfo?” Raro said.

He said that Ohara had been “under safekeeping of the NBI… She is here on her own volition because she is afraid for her life.”

Raro further alleged that the Marzans were “inflicting injury to Ohara… that’s why there was a rescue. We aren’t trying to hide anything here.”

Raro  stressed that there was “no such P6 million. If there is such an amount, it remains with the Marzans.”

He claimed that Ohara had bought various commercial properties as well as vehicles under the name of the Marzans.

“Produce Ohara… find out what she will say,” Raro made a dare.