Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Tuesday credited the coordinated intelligence efforts of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the cooperation of the public for the successful arrest of convicted former police officer PLt. Col. Rafael Dumlao III, one of those held accountable in the kidnapping and killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo.
“We commend the teams for the safe and successful implementation of the warrant. We assure the public that the DILG and the PNP are now on the road to serious reform,” Remulla said during a press conference at Camp Crame.
Following weeks of surveillance and intelligence validation, operatives of the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) tracked Dumlao to a residence in Barangay Pasong Tamo, Quezon City, where he was arrested at around 5:00 a.m. Tuesday.
“Hindi namin kilala kung sinong may-ari ng bahay. Pero may informant kami na nakita siya roon. Mataas ang pader niya at maraming puno. Nakita siya roon. Tsaka namin in-act agad yung intelligence,” Remulla said.
“We are investigating as of now. All we know is that he was in the house. The intelligence operative pointed it out and the mission was successful,” he added.
PNP Chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. likewise recognized the contribution of both the public and the operating units that carried out the arrest.
“We would like to thank and congratulate the community and the operating unit. Community, why? Because they gave the lead, so that we can track the fugitive. [We thank] as well as the painstaking efforts of our police officers who had tracked him down,” Nartatez said.
“Whether human intelligence or the so-called IT solutions, ganyan ang pag-track natin,” he added.
Remulla said the government will process the release of the P1-million reward offered for information leading to Dumlao’s arrest, recognizing the role of the informant whose tip helped accelerate the operation.
Dumlao was identified as the mastermind in the 2016 kidnapping, extortion, carnapping, and killing of Jee Ick Joo inside Camp Crame. The Court of Appeals overturned his earlier acquittal by the Regional Trial Court and sentenced him to reclusion perpetua. The conviction was later affirmed by the Supreme Court in 2025.
Remulla said South Korean officials, including the Korean Ambassador and the victim’s widow, have been informed of the arrest, which marks a significant milestone in the government’s nearly decade-long pursuit of justice in the case.
Dumlao is currently under the custody of CIDG-National Capital Region pending the return of the warrant and the issuance of a Commitment Order that will determine the facility where he will serve his sentence.
The DILG chief emphasized that no further trial proceedings are expected, noting that Dumlao has already exhausted all available legal remedies and that the focus now is the enforcement of the court’s final judgment.
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