HOW far up does it go?

This is the question that Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim now seeks an answer to, after four policemen from the Manila Police District Station 3 were tagged as among a group of armed men who kidnapped and mulcted a group of Korean tourists last Valentine’s Day.

Lim, in his recommendation to Manila Police District (MPD) director Chief Supt. Alex Gutierrez, also sought that all drug units in the various police stations be dissolved and for him (Gutierrez) and Chief Insp. Mar Reyes, chief of the Manila City Hall Police Office and MPD-General Assignment Section, to conduct a thorough investigation regarding the extent of the said kidnapping syndicate or the big individuals who may be behind it.

Lim likewise warned anew members of the police against getting involved in shenanigans, stressing that they will be met with the full force of the law, as he announced the arrest of a Korean national who connived with at least four unscrupulous policemen from the Manila Police District Station 3 in abducting five Korean tourists and demanding some P1 million if they do not want to be arrested and jailed for trumped-up drug charges.

The investigation, Lim said, will not spare anyone including the station commander, Supt. James Afalla, under whose jurisdiction the policemen allegedly involved belong, including the office where the Koreans were brought after the abduction.

Joined by chief of staff and media bureau director Ric de Guzman, city administrator Jay Marzan and Maj. Reyes, an upset Lim ordered a manhunt against the four cops identified as Senior Insp. Glenn Gonzales, PO2 Jolly Lapuz Aliangan, PO2 Richard Sibayan and PO1 George Borabo. 

Their Korean cohort was identified as one alias ‘Tom’, later identified as Gi Il Bang, 48, who was arrested in Quezon province last Feb. 18. Choi Jang Tae, who serves as the victims’ tour guide, was arrested and charged in Korea upon arrival.

The said policemen turned suspects, who have been on absence without leave since the case cropped up, were ordered to be subjected to summary dismissal proceedings by Lim, who said that they have no right to stay in the police force a minute longer.

Lim has recommended to Gutierrez to have the suspects’ unit dissolved immediately, including other similar units in police stations, saying only those at the MPD headquarters and the City Hall Detachment will be the ones left.

“Dapat i-screen mabuti ang magiging composition ng mga unit na ito at mabuti na `yung madaling ma-pinpoint ang responsibility,” Lim said.

“Once again, I am warning all members of the police against engaging in serious crimes such as the case at hand,” the mayor added, as he extended an invitation to those who may have also been victimized by the said group to come forward and lodge their complaints.

Officer-on-case SPO1 Abelardo Aguilar stated in his report that the four victims, identified as Kim Youn Ho, 43; Lee Byung Soup, 57; Nam Sang Jik, 55; and Do Wan Kuk, 56, were inside the Diamond Hotel in Ermita, Manila, preparing for their departure for Korea at around 10 a.m. of February 14 when Choi enticed them to go shopping outside the hotel in the meantime.

As the victims were walking toward a nearby mall accompanied by Choi, three men alighted from a Chrysler van and with drawn guns ordered them to board and then hurriedly left the area.

The victims said the van travelled for about 20 minutes before they were directed to alight and then led into an office where they saw many uniformed policemen coming in and out and later realized that they were in a police station.

Moments later, the victims were told that they were being arrested for possession of marijuana and were even shown plastic sachets of the supposed drugs confiscated from them.

The victims were then told to settle the case for US$30,000 and that in exchange, they will be freed and the charges against them will be dropped. They were also reportedly enticed by the suspects to seek assistance from their respective families in Korea and their five companions who stayed in the hotel.

At around 12:30 of the same day, Lee, Nam and Do were again ordered to board the same van. ‘Tom’ joined them as they returned to the hotel and acted as ‘negotiator’.

While the victims remained in the van, ‘Tom’ explained to the other Koreans that their colleagues were arrested for drug possession and should pay for their release but he was not able to convince the said Koreans to produce the money.

The suspects and the victims went back to the police station where they (victims) were told to contact their families, produce US$6,000 each and have the money deposited to the account of one Kim Hae Won at the Hana Bank Korea, 581-910261-82407. 

One of the suspects who was tasked to update their companions in the hotel described the place they were in so that their companions were able to seek assistance from the Korean Embassy.

As soon as the victims’ families were able to deposit a total of US$24,000, ‘Tom’ left the station to collect the money and subsequently, the suspects brought the victims into the van and released them one by one.

The victims then narrated before Korean Embassy officials headed by Consul Jun Soon Chui and certain officers from the MPD about their ordeal.

SPO1 Aguilar and PO3 Gilbert Isole conducted an investigation accompanied by the victims and pointed to Central Market in Sta. Cruz as the place where they were brought. At the MPD-Police Station 3, they pointed to the station anti-illegal drugs-SOTU office at the back portion as the area where they were kept under guard.

Chief Insp. Edgar Carpio then accompanied the victims to the office of Afalla and informed him of the kidnapping incident. The case is now with the General Assignment Section (GAS) under Chief Insp. Mar Reyes.

At the GAS office on United Nations Avenue, the Koreans were shown photographs of policemen assigned at MPD-Station 3 and positively identified Gonzales, Aliangan, Sibayan and Borabo as four of the male suspects who abducted and extorted them.