The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) through the Philippine National Police has taken concrete steps to help solve the killings of Korean nationals, including a religious Korean leader two months ago, and other related security concerns.
DILG Secretary Jesse M. Robredo said Thursday that he has submitted to President Benigno S. Aquino III a report coursed through him by PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo on the decisive actions taken by the DILG-PNP to address the security concerns raised by Korean Ambassador Hye Min Lee regarding the safety of Korean nationals in the country, particularly the killing of Korean Evangelical Pastor Cho Tae Hwan.
Cho was killed by unidentified assailant/s last August 23, 2010 in Pasig City while returning home from the airport.
Records from the PNP show that there are 13 cases of killings of Korean nationals from January 2009 to September 2010, eight cases or 60 percent of which have been solved by the PNP.
Citing Bacalzo’s report, Robredo said Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) “Cho Tae Hwan” has been created by the Eastern Police District to focus on the investigation and resolution of the killing of the Korean evangelical leader.
He said the PNP has also helped disseminate information on the P100,000 reward offered by the United Korean Community Association of the Philippines for any tip leading to the arrest and prosecution of the suspect/s in the killing of Cho.
“We have also established a Korean Desk at the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to attend to the concerns of Koreans who may become victims of crimes,” he said.
Earlier, representatives from the National Police Commission and the PNP twice met with officials of the Korean Embassy, including Korean Minister and Consul General Kim Yong Ho, to assure them of the government’s commitment to pursue the investigation of the Cho case and other cases involving Korean nationals.
“The PNP and the different Korean communities have established better communication lines to ensure real-time coordination regarding the safety and security of Korean nationals,” he said.
Other actions taken by the PNP as enumerated in Bacalzo’s report are: the conduct of a series of Personal Education seminars for members of the Korean community; implementation of Letter of Instructions (LOI) Bantay Turista which sets the operational guidelines to protect and ensure the safety of tourists; and intensification of operations to neutralize “Bundol Gang” that victimizes people who have just arrived from the airport by pretending to accidentally bump the vehicles of their victims before announcing a hold-up. ###
