Suspect behind abducted Chinese nationals turns self over to Reps. Tulfo, Fernandez

The driver-turned-suspect of four female Chinese nationals who were allegedly abducted by over 40 personnel of the Southern Police District – Detective and Special Operations Unit in Parañaque last year handed himself on Thursday, two days after a warrant for his arrest was issued.

Michael Novecio, who served as driver and bodyguard of the four Chinese victims, voluntarily presented himself to House Deputy Majority Leader Erwin Tulfo Thursday morning in a bid to help him surrender to Sta. Rosa Rep. Cong. Dan Fernandez, the chairperson of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety, which is currently probing the case.

Novecio was officially turned over to Fernandez at the House of Representatives on Thursday noon.

“He watched our hearing the other day, so he surrendered to our office. He said he no longer knows who his opponent is. He said he is being chased by groups of Chinese as well as groups of police,” Tulfo said in a press conference.

Novecio, who was purportedly involved in unlawful arrest, arbitrary detention, robbery (extortion), and grave coercion of the four Chinese women in September last year, professed that he was coerced to become an informant of the erring cops involved in the said crime.

Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop, who filed the resolution to investigate the alleged abduction, said that the four female Chinese nationals, namely Dang Lina, Hu Yi, Ling Lang Ping, and Li Huanhuan, were “unlawfully accosted” and “arrested” by SPD-DSOU “without being informed of their alleged offense and Miranda rights and were deprived of contact with their legal representation.”

According to Acop, the Chinese nationals were transferred to SPD-DSOU in Taguig, where they were asked to hand over P2 million each for their release.

Last week, National Capital Region Police Office chief Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. announced that 44 personnel from the SPD-DSOU and Parañaque police were directly involved in the operation.

Of the number, Nartatez said 34 personnel of the initial 35 face summary dismissal proceedings.

The other nine, however, were scot-free with administrative cases due to lack of probable cause.

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives issued a warrant of arrest against Novecio for his persistent failure to appear in the hearings.

During the probe, 15 PNP officers were detained in the House after they were cited in contempt for their defiance of admitting the crime despite the presentation of video footage and results of the PNP investigation.

Fernandez, however, instructed House Secretary General Reginald Velasco to safeguard Novecio for his voluntary surrender.