Senate panel to subpoena CCTV footage of South Korean fugitive

Sen. Risa Hontiveros plans to subpoena CCTV footage at a men’s club in Quezon City to get to the bottom of the escape of a South Korean fugitive who has since been rearrested. Photo by SENATE PUBLIC RELATIONS AND INFORMATION BUREAU

MANILA, Philippines— A CCTV footage at a men’s club in Quezon City is evidence that Sen. Risa Hontiveros wants the Senate to subpoena in connection with the escape of a South Korean fugitive.

Authorities rearrested Na Ik-hyeon on Sunday after he escaped custody while attending a court hearing in Quezon City on March 4.

READ: BI recaptures escaped South Korean fugitive cohort

“We will pursue this at the next subcommittee hearing. Ipapa-subpoena ko ang mga CCTV footage, kasama na ang CCTV sa loob ng Pegasus, dahil posibleng doon nagkaroon ng transaksyon,” said Hontiveros  in a statement on Monday.

(We will pursue this at the next subcommittee hearing. I will subpoena the CCTV footage, including the CCTV inside Pegasus, because it is possible that a transaction took place there.)

She raised Na’s escape while presiding over the Senate subcommittee on justice and human rights’ hearing on issues surrounding now-detained Bamban Mayor Alice Guo.

Although Na was already rearrested, Hontiveros said it remains concerning that there might not have been a manhunt had she not revealed the information about the fugitive’s escape.

“This is symptomatic of the failures and offenses of the BI (Bureau of Immigration) in handling erring foreign nationals. Mukhang hindi mawala-wala ang kultura ng korapsyon sa ahensya (It seems that the culture of corruption in the agency is hard to eliminate),” the senator said.

BI has already terminated its personnel allegedly involved in Na’s escape.

READ: BI sacks men for aiding Korwan fugitive to escape

But Hontiveros wants more, as she urged BI commissioner Joel Viado to ensure that officials involved “in this shameful incident be imposed the strictest penalties, including criminal liability under Article 223 of the Revised Penal Code.”

“Magkaroon naman sana ng konting hiya itong mga kawani ng gobyerno,” she added.

(I hope these government employees would have a little shame.)

Na, who was wanted for fraud in South Korea, was first arrested at Clark International Airport in May 2023 after presenting a fake Philippine passport.

NOTE: The English translations in the article were AI-generated