Ranking police officials involved in the killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo will be transferred to the Angeles City Jail.

This, after the Angeles City Regional Trial Court, denied the appeal filed by Superintendent Rafael Dumlao, Senior Police Officer 3 (SPO3) Ricky Sta. Isabel and civilian Jerry Omlang.

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In a four-page order signed by Angeles City RTC Branch 56 Judge Irin Zenaida Buan, the court said the law requires that an accused should be detained at the nearest police station where the trial is being conducted.

The court added that with regards to the safety and security of the accused, it noted that to date “no untoward incident involving life and security of detainees in the Angeles City Jail has been reported.”

“Moreover, the responsibility to ensure the safety and security of all detainees in the city jail belongs to the city jail warden thus, all security concerns of detainees should be addressed by the said official once the accused are officially turned over to the said jail facility,” the court said.

The court added that there were no constitutional rights of the accused that would be violated with the transfer of detention.

“Since the accused have pending criminal cases only in Angeles City, then they should be treated equally as the other accused and must be detained at the city jail,” the court said.

Dumlao is currently detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame while Sta. Isabel and Omlang are at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

The prosecution has pushed for the transfer of detention of the accused to the Angeles City Jail which is nearest to the court conducting trial pursuant to the rules.

The three along with retired policeman Gerardo Santiago are facing charges of kidnapping for ransom with homicide, kidnapping and serious illegal detention and car theft.

Jee and his household helper, Marisa Morquicho, were abducted on Oct. 18, 2016 from his home in Friendship Plaza Subdivision, Angeles City under the pretext that police were conducting anti-illegal drugs operations under “Oplan Tokhang.”

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He was strangled to death inside the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame on the same day he was kidnapped, his cremated remains reportedly flushed down the toilet. Morquicho was eventually released.

The members of the DOJ prosecuting team are Senior Assistant State Prosecutors Juan Pedro Navera and Olivia Torrevillas, and Assistant State Prosecutor Ethel Rhea Suril.

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