Philippines police chief furious after rogue cops kill Korean
MANILA: The Philippines police chief expressed sorrow and fury yesterday after discovering some of his men had kidnapped and killed a South Korean businessman inside the national police headquarters.
“I want to disappear from this world because of so much shame after what my men did,” national police chief Ronald Dela Rosa told reporters.
Dela Rosa, a longtime ally of President Rodrigo Duterte, said he was ‘ very angry’ and ‘ very offended’ after learning the crime took place at the home of the national police.
Dela Rosa did not say how many police were involved, or if any had been charged.
The remains of Jee Ick-joo, abducted in October by rogue officers involved in kidnappings, were found at a funeral parlour in the capital, Manila, according to media.
His death is the latest setback for a police force drawing heavy criticism from rights groups, who say cover- ups and abuses of police power are rampant and accuse police of executing suspected drug dealers as part of Duterte’s narcotics crackdown.
Police deny involvement in extrajudicial killings and say deaths in the course of the antidrugs campaign are in selfdefence.
Media said Jee’s wife had paid an undisclosed ransom for his release but the kidnappers wanted more. That information could not be independently verified.
“I am very sorry that this crime happened and my own men are involved,” Dela Rosa said.
“I want to kill those policemen who are into crime syndicates but I cannot do it. That’s illegal.”
He said Duterte’s assurance of legal protection for policeman accused of wrongdoing as part of the drugs campaign would not apply to erring officers.
Antonio Trillanes, a senator and staunch Duterte critic, said the president’s campaign against drugs had created a culture of impunity.
“We’re creating monsters out of some elements of the Philippines National Police,” he told CNN Philippines. — Reuters