Records of Marisa Dawis. Photos from Office of Senator Leila de Lima (BuCor photos and records of Marisa Dawis)
Who really is Marissa Dawis-Morquicho, the freed house help of slain South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo?”
Senator Leila de Lima raised this question on Thursday after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) disclosed during the hearing of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs that based on records, there is a certain Marisa Dawis, who was convicted of kidnapping.
“From the records of NBI, there is a certain Marisa Dawis, who was convicted of kidnapping. But then at the moment, we can’t establish if the same name, Marissa Dawis, who applied for NBI clearance, and the Marissa Dawis, who was convicted, are the same persons,” NBI Assistant Director Medardo Delemos said when De Lima asked if the agency has records of the house help.
“But it’s significant to note, your honor that three persons bearing the name Marisa Dawis have three different birthdays,” Delemos said.
The NBI official said the only way to determine if the three persons bearing the same name are one and the same is to compare the existing finger print at the NBI to the Marissa Dawis, who is now under the custody of the Philippine National Police’s Anti-Kidnapping Group.
At this point, De Lima showed to the committee a copy of records from the Bureau of Corrections showing that a certain Marissa Calanayan Y. Dawis was jailed for kidnapping and discharged on August 2, 2002.
Photo from Office of Senator de Lima (BuCor photos and records of Marisa Dawis)
“It’s imperative that both investigative bodies should determine whether we are talking about the same women. It’s too much again of a coincidence,” she said, referring to the NBI and the Philippine National Police.
“Di ba last time nagugulat ako dun sa impormasyon that she was hired only a day before the incident. So ngayon po natuklasan natin na ganyan, na kapangalan probably…” the senator said.
(Last time, weren’t we surprised at the information that she was only hired a day before the incident. And now we find out about this, that she shares the same name, probably…)
During the first hearing of the committee on Jee’s kidnap-slay last January 26, De Lima said she found it too much of a coincidence that the house help was hired only a day before she and her boss were abducted from the Korean’s home in Angeles City in Pampanga on October 18. The house help was freed while the Korean was strangled to death inside the PNP headquarters.
READ: ‘Investigator’ Leila: Was Korean’s slay an ‘inside job’?
“Wala pa ho akong conclusion dito pero gusto ho talaga naming malaman yan, especially na again too much of a coincidence kung totoo yan o kung ma confirm na po na they are one and the same person, kidnapping na naman yan. So ano na naman yan…”
“Kanino sya? Sino sya? Mukhang baka kasama sa sindikato. Anong sindikato? We don’t know. These are not just conclusions, I’m just thinking aloud,” added De Lima, who was former Justice Secretary.
(I have no conclusion here, but we really want to know, especially since, again, it is too much of a coincidence if it is true or if it is confirmed that they are one and the same person, that’s kidnapping once again. So what’s that…
Who is she [working] for? Who is she? It seems like she’s part of a syndicate. What syndicate? We don’t know. These are not just conclusions, I’m just thinking aloud.) CDG/rga