SUPERINTENDENT James Afalla, the chief of the Manila Police District Station 3 which had put the entire district in an embarrassing light following the reported kidnapping of four Korean tourists by at least a couple of men assigned at the Station Anti-Illegal Drugs (SAID)  unit of the said police station and the use of the said unit in the negotiations, had been relieved.

This was announced yesterday by Manila Mayor Alfredo S. Lim, who said that also as an offshoot of the said incident, he and Manila Police District director Chief Supt. Alex Gutierrez  have agreed to a minor reshuffle of the police station heads.

Gutierrez, meanwhile, announced that he has already dissolved the SAID units of all the 11 police stations so that now, only the MPD headquarters will have an anti-drug unit.

Effective today (Feb. 23), Supt. Ricardo Layug Jr. will be heading the MPD Station 3 vice Afalla, who will be recalled to the headquarters.

Supt. Ernesto V. Tendero Jr., meanwhile, will be reassigned as commander of Station 2; Supt. Marvin Wynn Marcos, Station 9; Supt. Luis Francisco formerly of the logistics division, to Station 10, and Supt. Jemar Modequillo, Station 5.

The following meanwhile have been retained: Supt. Rolando Tumalad, Station 1; Supt. Remigio Sedanto, Station 6; Supt. Roderick Mariano, Station 7; Supt. Frumencio Bernal, Station 8, and Supt. Ferdinand Quirante, Station 11. Supt. Reynaldo Nava also remained as chief of the traffic bureau while Supt. Edgardo Reyes is still the chief of the mobile unit.

During the meeting with the police officers held at the oval room and also attended by Gutierrez and Lim’s chief of staff and media bureau chief Ric de Guzman, city security force chief ret. Maj. Nicolas Amparo and consultant Gen. Dionisio Santiago,  the mayor stressed the need to take a ‘drastic’ and decisive action on the issue, in view of the incident that involves policemen and a police station unit, no less.

Lim particularly cited news reaching his office that the said incident had been flashed all over the Korean media and is now the talk of the town in that country.

“You see the backlash here? Kaya kayong mga commanders, mag-ingat kayo sa ganitong mga pangyayari.  Monitor closely the activities of your people.  Ang nangyari dito ay garapalan na, dun pa nag-transact ng illegal business sa loob ng istasyon,” the mayor sighed.

It will be recalled that five Korean tourists were kidnapped by armed men while walking toward a mall in Malate, Manila. 

Based on the allegations of the Koreans, the armed men whom they later identified turned out to be policemen assigned at the MPD Stations 3 and 4 who  even brought them to the SAID office right within Station 3 where they were kept and negotiations took place. 

The Koreans paid US$24,000 for their release, under threat of being faced with trump-up charges of possession of marijuana.