Kidnap raps pushed vs. Korean, 3 others

CEBU, Philippines - Finding probable cause, the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office recommended the filing of kidnapping for ransom against a Korean and three others before the court.

Prosecutor Rhodna Bacatan charged Song Sung Heum, 32, of South Korea; Gregorio Dealagdon, a resident of Aloguinsan town, Cebu; Leonardo Bulabon, a resident of Pacuan, La Libertad, Negros Oriental; and Richard Dealagdon, a resident of Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City.

The complaint against them was filed by Jun Hyung Chung and his Filipina girlfriend Charise Santiago.

On Oct. 24, 2012 at 11 a.m. Chung and Santiago alleged they were “forcibly taken by armed persons” identified as Gregorio, Bulabon and Richard at their residence at La Guardia, Barangay Lahug, Cebu City.

The respondents allegedly demanded P600,000 from them for their release. Chung then requested the respondents to allow him to call his mother who deposited P400,000 to his account.

Chung again asked the respondents to call his mother.

“Few minutes after, Chung told his captors that he wants to call his mother again to verify if the deposit was made, when he was allowed to do so, Chung called a friend instead and asked for help,” the complaint read.

Chung went to the Automated Teller Machine in a mall and withdrew P195,000 which he handed to the respondents. When Chung asked for their release, the police arrived and arrested the three respondents.

During investigation, Richard divulged that it was Heum who ordered them to kidnap Chung.

Heum was arrested in a hot-pursuit operation in Lapu-Lapu City.

In their counter-affidavits the respondents denied the allegation.  Heum said he went to Cebu to put up a business while the other three respondents likewise denied that they forcibly took complainants from their house.  The three, however, admitted knowing each other.

The three said they were asked to arrange a meeting between Chung and Heum to settle their issues involving money.  They added the complainants voluntarily accompanied them to a mall where they were going to meet Heum.

Bacatan, however, ruled the arguments presented by the respondents were “mere bare denials which cannot merit any consideration from this office.”

“To merit credibility, denial must be supported with strong evidence of non-culpability, but none was presented. Naturally, their denial crumbles under the weight of complainant’s positive assertion. Besides, the defense of denial is evidentiary in nature, thus presentation of evidence in a full-blown trial before the court is necessary,” the resolution reads.

Bacatan added that based on the evidence presented by the respondents it was found out that Heum has “the possible motive by admitting that he has an existing spat with the victim Chung owing from the latter’s gambling debt.”

Moreover, Bacatan said it was Dealagdon who fed infor mation to the police about Heum’s flight that led to his arrest.  — (FREEMAN)