Bersamin orders manhunt for ex-police officer Dumlao; PAOCC offers ₱1M reward

Metro Manila, Philippines - The Presidential Anti Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) is offering a ₱1 million reward for the arrest of ex-police head Rafael Dumlao III as Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin ordered a manhunt for the convicted murderer.

Dumlao, a former Anti-Kidnapping Group head superintendent, was tagged as the mastermind in the kidnapping and killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo in 2016.

In a statement, PAOCC said Bersamin ordered law enforcers to locate and arrest Dumlao after his case was discussed in an inter-agency coordination meeting on the safety of Koreans at Camp Crame on Thursday.

Dumlao was released from custody in 2019 after he was acquitted by a Regional Trial Court. This decision was reversed by the Court of Appeals (CA) in June 2024.

The CA sentenced Dumlao to a life term without parole and issued a fine of ₱350,000 in damages for kidnapping with homicide and ₱225,000 for kidnapping and serious illegal detention.