Prosecutors ask court to send Jee Ick Joo slay suspects to regular jail

MANILA, Philippines — State prosecutors sought the transfer of the accused in the kidnap-slay case of Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo from their chosen detention centers to a local jail in Pampanga.

In an eight-page motion, a panel of prosecutors asked for Police Superintendent Rafael Dumlao III, SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel and "runner" Jerry Omlang to be sent to a detention facility under the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Angeles City, Pampanga.

Omlang is currently detained in the National Bureau of Investigation compound in Manila, while Dumlao and Sta. Isabel are being held at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Quezon City.

The prosecutors said that the custody arrangements of the three are “burdensome, costly and inefficient” since the accused are transported to Pampanga from their detention centers for trial.

They also stressed that detention and security are “not the main functions and mandates” of the PNP and NBI.

“The agency vested by law to administer and supervise jail facilities where arrested persons should be committed while waiting or undergoing trial is the BJMP,” the motion reads.

'They should be treated like other detainees'

The prosecutors also stressed that the Supreme Court, through the Office of Court Administrator, issued a directive to local courts to “refrain from issuing orders committing detainees at the PNP Custodial Center.”

They added that since the accused are already facing charges before a local court, they should be treated like all other detainees. “They should not be given special privileges or treatment distinct from all other detainees,” the prosecutors added.

The motion was signed by Senior Assistant State Prosecutors Juan Pedro Navera and Olivia Laroza-Torrevillas and Assistant State Prosecutor Ethel Suril.

According to the resolution issued by the DOJ, Jee was killed by policemen inside the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame. The Korean businessman was kidnapped from his residence in Angeles City, Pampanga under the guise of an anti-drug operation.