Authorities arrested on Tuesday former police Lt. Col. Rafael Dumlao, who was convicted in connection with the 2016 kidnapping and killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo.
Interior Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla said operatives of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) arrested Dumlao at around 5 am inside a house in Barangay Pasong Tamo, Quezon City.
The arrest was carried out by virtue of a warrant for murder.
Dumlao was among those implicated in the abduction and killing of Jee, who was taken in 2016 and later brought to Camp Crame, where he was strangled to death. His remains were later cremated and flushed in a toilet bowl.
In September 2024, the Court of Appeals reversed the ruling of an Angeles City court that had acquitted Dumlao. The appellate court sentenced him to reclusion perpetua, or up to 40 years in prison, and ordered his arrest.
Dumlao later appealed the ruling before the Supreme Court, but the motion was denied in June last year, effectively affirming his conviction.
Remulla said an informant provided authorities with information that led to Dumlao’s arrest. The informant is set to receive the P1-million reward offered by the government for information on his whereabouts.
Authorities seized from Dumlao a 9-mm pistol registered to another person. A laptop and cellphone were also recovered and are now being examined to determine who may have helped him while he was in hiding.
Remulla said investigators are also looking into the possible liability of the owner of the house where Dumlao was arrested.
According to Remulla, information on Dumlao’s location was initially limited to himself, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., and CIDG director Maj. Gen. Robert Morico II to protect the operation.
“The tactical team was informed at 10 pm last night. All their cellphones were confiscated, and they were informed of the mission on hand,” Remulla said.
He said authorities were able to confirm Dumlao’s presence in the house after monitoring movement there. Dumlao had also reportedly watched the wedding of his daughter through Facebook Live last Sunday instead of attending the event.
“He was sleeping in the house,” Remulla said. “The CIDG team entered the house based on the warrant. A tactical team entered, broke down the door, and arrested him.”
Dumlao did not resist arrest and was brought to the CIDG-National Capital Region office. He was expected to be presented to the Court of Appeals, which will determine where he will be detained.
Remulla said the investigation will continue to determine how Dumlao evaded authorities and who may have assisted him.
“He is undergoing debriefing now. He is with the CIDG, and we will pursue all angles and all leads to see how he escaped, who he was with, and to backtrack and examine his phone,” he said.
Remulla said the arrest showed the government’s commitment to enforcing the law and implementing court decisions.
“The arrest sends a strong message that no one is above the law, regardless of rank, position, or former authority,” he said.
He also commended the PNP for carrying out the arrest, saying Dumlao was not placed above the law despite being a former police officer.
“The institution is not perfect, but the road towards a more trustworthy PNP has now begun,” Remulla said.