Eduardo Acierto —AP
MANILA, Philippines — The supposed involvement of dismissed Police Colonel Eduardo Acierto in the murder of Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo was not established, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Oscar Albayalde said Wednesday.
Albayalde’s statement came a day after President Rodrigo Duterte tagged Acierto in the murder of Jee Ick Joo, who was kidnapped allegedly by an anti-drug officer, strangled to death inside Camp Crame, and whose cremated remains reportedly flushed down a toilet in October 2016.
READ: WHAT WENT BEFORE: Jee Ick-joo slaying
“Actually, sa ngayon walang feedback sa amin na he (Acierto) was directly or indirectly involved. I think that part is still under investigation, although na-identify kasi kaagad kung sino ‘yung mga directly involved gaya nina Colonel Dumlao who are in jail actually,” Albayalde told reporters at Camp Crame. He was referring to Lt. Col. Rafael Dumlao III, who is currently detained at the PNP Custodial Center.
(Actually, as of now there is no feedback to us that he was directly or indirectly involved. I think that part is still under investigation, although those directly involved were immediately identified like Colonel Dumlao, who are in jail actually.)
READ: Dumlao joins De Lima, other high-profile inmates in jail
“‘Yung participation niya kung meron man, hindi pa ma-identify until now. ‘Yun nga after that kasi na-dismiss siya from the service,” the PNP chief said.
(His participation, if there’s any, has not been identified until now. It’s because after that he was dismissed from the service.)
Acierto was dismissed from the police force in August 2018 following an order from the Office of the Ombudsman over the anomalous issuance of AK-47 rifles during the Aquino administration.
According to Albayalde, Acierto was officer-in-charge of the now defunct PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG) during the murder of Jee, since its chief at that time, Brigadier General Albert Ferro, was out of the country for an official trip.
Acierto earlier alleged that Michael Yang — one of President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic adviser, and another Chinese national identified as Allan Lim were involved in the illegal drugs trade. /kga