Dismissed police official Rafael Dumlao III was arrested in Quezon City on June 9, 2026 for the kidnapping and murder of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo after authorities tracked him through a Facebook livestream of his daughter’s wedding.
Law enforcers surrounded Dumlao at about 5 a.m. at a house in Barangay Pasong Tamo, where he had been hiding for two years, seizing a pistol, laptop, and cellphone from his possession.
“It was the wedding of his daughter last Sunday. So from then on, trinack namin yung movement niya at trinack namin kung siya talaga yun. And it looks like he was parang naka-Facebook Live, pinapanood niya yung kasal ng anak niya,” Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla said.
(It was the wedding of his daughter last Sunday. So from then on we tracked his movements and verified if it was really him. And it looks like he was watching his daughter’s wedding on Facebook Live.)
An informant revealed Dumlao’s hiding place to authorities, prompting the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) to conduct a three-week surveillance operation.
Last 2016, Jee Ick Joo was abducted from his home in Angeles City, Pampanga, where Dumlao’s group accused the victim of drug involvement to hide their motive.
Dumlao’s accomplices strangled the victim inside a parked vehicle at Camp Crame, then cremated his remains and disposed of them, yet still collected P5 million in ransom, prompting a strong condemnation from the South Korean government.
In 2023, the Angeles City Regional Trial Court found Dumlao’s accomplices guilty of kidnapping with homicide but acquitted Dumlao, and the Court of Appeals reversed that decision in 2024, sentencing him to reclusion perpetua.
Dumlao went into hiding after the appellate court issued its ruling, and the government requested an INTERPOL Red Notice against him.
On June 30, 2025, Remulla stated that the Supreme Court denied Dumlao’s petition, affirming his conviction and exhausting all legal options.
“This morning’s operation is a clear demonstration of the government’s commitment to enforce the law and implement court decisions,” Remulla said.
“The Philippine National Police acted in accordance with its mandate and the arrest sends a strong message that no one is above the law regardless of rank, position, or former authority,” he added.
