The Angeles City Regional Trial Court on Thursday amended the hold departure order it earlier issued against police colonel Rafael Dumlao III who was tagged as the brains behind the 2016 killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo to cover all seaports and airports nationwide and not only the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Angeles City RTC, Branch 56, Judge Irin Zenaida Buan expanded the coverage of the HDO after state prosecutors headed by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera filed an urgent ex parte motion asking the court to amend its May 8 HDO against Dumlao since it specifically mentioned only the Travel Control Bureau of the Bureau of Immigration and only one specific airport-NAIA.
The HDO was issued after Buan allowed Dumlao last Monday to post bail for his temporary liberty.
“Acting on the urgent ex parte motion and finding the same to be well taken, said motion is granted. Wherefore, let an amended order be issued in these cases directing the Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration to prevent accused P/Supt. Rafael Dumlao III from utilizing all airports and seaports of the Philippine island to escape and flee to another country during the pendency of these cases,” the court said in the amended order.
In its petition, the prosecution panel said the May 8 order directing only the BI in NAIA “would render inutile the very purpose of the HDO since there are other airports and seaports where accused can clearly and easily depart from to escape and seek refuge to another country,” read part of the motion.
The prosecution panel said there is a need for the court to amend the HDO to include all offices of the BI “in all airports and seaports of the Philippines.”
Dumlao will stand trial starting this June on charges of kidnapping for ransom with homicide, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, and carnapping.
Earlier, when sought for comment if the HDO applies to all seaports and airports in the country considering that the order was specific to NAIA, Justice Undersecretary and Spokesperson Markk Perete said the immigration has only one system.
“NAIA is not isolated or separate from that system. To construe it as applicable only to NAIA will be absurd as the HDO will be ineffectual as the subject person could just use other airports. In such a case, such HDO is no HDO at all,” he added.
Aside from Dumlao, Police Chief Master Sergeant (formerly SPO3) Ricky Sta. Isabel and Gerry Omlang, the Department of Justice also charged Gerardo “Ding” Santiago, owner of the Gream Funeral Services in Caloocan City where the body of the victim was brought, and Police
Executive Master Sergeant (formerly SPO4) Roy Villegas in the kidnapping for ransom with a homicide case.
However, the DOJ later tapped Villegas as a state witness, while Santiago’s case was downgraded to an accessory.