Police official denies ordering killing of woman in septic tank

A police colonel tagged as the mastermind in the kidnap-slaying of a Chinese-Filipino businesswoman, whose decomposing body was found in a septic tank last month, has denied involvement in her murder.

P/Supt. Rommel S. Miranda, former spokesperson of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), asked the Department of Justice to dismiss for lack of merit the charges of kidnapping for ransom with homicide filed against him for the killing of businesswoman Lea Angeles Ng.

Ng’s decomposing body was found inside the septic tank of an abandoned warehouse in San Pedro, Laguna, on February 23.

“Neither do I have any motive to harm, much less kill, Lea Ng who had been a good friend after having assisted and protected her interests and those of her family from the day I met her in 1997 and during her lifetime,” Miranda said in his counter-affidavit.

A former policeman, Reginal Regidor Santiago, had confessed his role in the disposal of Ng’s body allegedly on orders of Miranda who was his superior in the PNP Intelligence Group.

Aside from Miranda, Santiago also identified Police Officers 1 Otelio Santos Jr. and Jifford Signap, both assigned with the San Pedro Municipal Police Station in Laguna, as having been directly involved in the crime.

Miranda, deputy chief of the Communications and Electronics Service of Police Regional Office 7 based in Cebu City, Santos and Signap have been charged with kidnapping for ransom with homicide.

“I am saddened by their false imputation of a sinister motive to implicate me in her death, worse as the alleged mastermind-conspirator in her alleged  kidnapping for ransom with homicide, a heinous crime,” Miranda said.

Santiago led agents of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group to the abandoned warehouse where Ng’s body was found.

Miranda, however, disputed as “faulty” Santiago’s account of what transpired on the day that Ng died.

Santiago had claimed that Ng was already dead by 9:30 a.m. on January 20 when he met Miranda at UCC Corinthian in Quezon City.

“The security logbook of UCC Corinthian shows that Lea’s car entered the parking area at 10:14 a.m. precisely to meet me at the place where I was waiting for her,” Miranda said.

“How then could it be possible for Lea to arrive at UCC Corinthian at 10:14 (a.m.), when according to respondent Santiago’s account, she was already dead about 9:30 a.m.?” he said.

Miranda also denied the allegations of the victim’s husband, Tommy Ng, that he was indebted to his wife or her family.

“It is simply not true…that there was even an instance when Lea and I quarreled over anything, much less over monies that were collected…I am not indebted to Lea or her family for whatever amount,” he said.

Miranda was allegedly moonlighting as a debt collector for Ng who was engaged in the money lending business.

Miranda said that he and Tommy Ng even met on January 22 at SM Marikina because he was looking for his wife.