PNP-IMEG denies escorting convicted felon in Subic tourism facility
Mark Lawrence Salatan Atencio
Daily TribuneMark Lawrence Salatan Atencio
The Philippine National Police–Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (PNP-IMEG) denied allegations that its personnel escorted a convicted foreign national in Subic Bay.
In a statement released on 10 April, the PNP-IMEG emphasized that at no time did its personnel provide escort, security, or any form of assistance to any foreign national in relation to the reported incident. “The claim is false, misleading, and without factual basis,” it said.
“The presence of PNP-IMEG personnel in the area on 8 April was in connection with the validation of a formal complaint regarding the alleged presence of unauthorized police or Special Action Force (SAF) personnel providing security services within a private establishment in Subic,” it added.
However, Subic Bay Marine Exploratorium, Inc. (SBMEI) urged the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to investigate the incident.
SBMEI said the public statement issued by the PNP-IMEG confirmed that its officers were present during the attempted takeover of Ocean Adventure and Camayan Beach Resort on Wednesday by convicted American felon Timothy J. Desmond.
According to SBMEI, the IMEG statement, instead of clearing the air, exposed critical gaps in the official account and raised new questions about how two American nationals were able to bring armed police personnel to the gates of a family tourism property inside a special economic zone without a court order and without coordinating with the zone’s governing authority.
At approximately 3 p.m. on 8 April, a convoy of six vehicles arrived at the main gate of Camayan Beach Resort and Ocean Adventure. The convoy consisted of two PNP vehicles—a Bataan PPO PRO 3 Morong MPS patrol vehicle (Toyota, white, plate SND 4272) and a National Police van (Nissan, white, plate SND 5326)—and four private vehicles: a Ford Expedition (black, plate XFH 139), a Ford Expedition (dark green, plate XLR 773), a Ford Ranger pickup (blue, plate ARA 8579), and a Suzuki Vitara (white, plate NGM 5227). The blue Ford Ranger was carrying masked individuals.
Brando Agao, head of security of SBMEI, blocked the convoy from entering the property, and the group eventually departed after approximately one hour.
Agao said, “I asked them why they were escorting individuals who were banned from the property and why they were involving themselves in a corporate dispute. They didn’t respond. So I asked them for a court order, which they did not have. They had nothing to justify their actions. If they had come alone, we would have allowed them in. But they arrived at the front of a convoy of vehicles headed by Desmond, and it was clearly coordinated. They spoke among themselves and left together when we refused them entry.”
The SBMA Law Enforcement Department arrived during the group’s withdrawal.
IMEG publicly stated that its personnel were at the location to validate a “formal complaint regarding the alleged presence of unauthorized police or Special Action Force (SAF) personnel providing security services within a private establishment in Subic.” It added that its actions were “not in any way connected to, or in support of, any party involved in a private or corporate matter.”
“If someone filed a formal complaint claiming that SAF or police officers were operating as private security inside our resort, that complaint was fabricated,” Gonzaga said.
“We are demanding that IMEG disclose who filed it, when it was filed, and what validation was done before armed officers were deployed from Manila to Subic. Filing a false report to trigger a police deployment is not a procedural lapse. It is potentially a criminal act.”
Gonzaga noted that IMEG’s own press statement specifically cited the PNP Special Action Force in connection with the 8 April incident.
“An elite unit of the Philippine National Police was named in an official PNP press statement without any factual basis,” Gonzaga said.
“Was SAF consulted before its name was used? Does SAF even know it was cited? They are headquartered in the Ilanin Forest and conduct exercises and marches along the roads, which are visible to everyone. They are our neighbors, and they are welcome on our properties with proper coordination, of course. The Special Action Force deserves an explanation, and so does the public.”
Gonzaga said the BI must also look into the role of Tim Desmond and Stanley Loo, a Philippine tourist visa holder and the second American national present in the convoy. “Two foreign nationals coordinated what appears to be a forcible attempt to seize a Philippine company. That is an immigration matter. The BI cannot look the other way,” Gonzaga said.
“The Bureau of Immigration gave Tim Desmond a second chance,” Gonzaga added. “He used it to organize a physical takeover attempt of a tourism property inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, with armed police and masked men. The BI needs to look at what Desmond has done with the clearance it granted him and determine whether that conduct is consistent with the conditions of his stay in this country.”
Desmond has served sentences in the Philippines for falsification of documents and perjury. The BI’s Board of Commissioners found him to be an undesirable alien in a 5 February 2016 resolution and ordered his deportation. That order was reversed on 13 January this year, and Desmond was given 90 days to secure a valid visa. Within weeks of obtaining clearance, he organized an unauthorized stockholders’ meeting on 13 February, and on 8 April led a convoy with police escorts and masked individuals to the gates of a family resort.
The 8 April incident took place during the PNP’s Ligtas SUMVAC 2026 deployment, when police resources were publicly committed to securing tourist destinations and ensuring the safety of families during the summer season.
“The PNP told the country it was deploying personnel to protect tourists and tourism properties,” Gonzaga said. “Instead, IMEG showed up at a family resort with heavily armed personnel alongside a convicted foreigner, a second American national, and a truck full of masked individuals. Hundreds of guests with their families were on site. Employees were at work. If we had not stopped them at the gate, this could have ended very differently.”
The Subic Bay Freeport Zone is administered by the SBMA. Law enforcement operations within the zone require coordination with the SBMA Law Enforcement Department. SBMEI confirmed with SBMA law enforcers who responded to the incident that no such coordination took place before IMEG entered the Freeport on 8 April.
Gonzaga said SBMEI is calling on DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla, in his capacity as ex officio chairperson of NAPOLCOM, to look into the matter personally.
“IMEG is the unit that is supposed to monitor police integrity,” Gonzaga said. “When serious questions are raised about IMEG itself, NAPOLCOM has to answer the most basic question of all: Who watches the watchers?”