PNP-IMEG rejects Subic escort claims

The Philippine National Police-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (PNP-IMEG) has denied allegations that its personnel escorted a convicted foreign national during an incident in Subic Bay.

In a statement on 10 April, IMEG said its officers “at no time did its personnel provide escort, security, or any form of assistance to any foreign national in relation to the reported incident,” calling the claim “false, misleading, and without factual basis.”

It added that IMEG personnel were in the area on 8 April only to validate a formal complaint regarding alleged unauthorized police or Special Action Force (SAF) personnel providing security inside a private establishment in Subic.

The Subic Bay Marine Exploratorium Inc. (SBMEI), however, has urged the National Police Commission (Napolcom) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to investigate the incident, saying IMEG’s own statement raised more questions than answers.

SBMEI said the IMEG account confirmed the presence of police-linked personnel during what it described as an attempted takeover of Ocean Adventure and Camayan Beach Resort by convicted American national Timothy J. Desmond. It questioned how two American nationals were able to arrive with armed police personnel at a private tourism property inside a special economic zone without a court order or coordination with Subic authorities.

At around 3 p.m. on 8 April, a convoy of six vehicles reportedly arrived at the resort gate, including two marked PNP vehicles and four private SUVs and pickups. One vehicle allegedly carried masked individuals. The group was blocked by security and left after about an hour. SBMEI’s security personnel said they asked for a court order, which was not presented.

IMEG, for its part, said its deployment was solely for validation of a complaint involving alleged unauthorized police or SAF personnel acting as private security, and denied involvement in any private or corporate dispute.

SBMEI also called on the Bureau of Immigration to review the involvement of Desmond and another American national, saying immigration clearance had been granted under conditions that now require scrutiny. Desmond previously served sentences in the Philippines and was earlier declared an undesirable alien in a 2016 BI resolution before a 2026 reversal allowed his return under a temporary clearance.

The 8 April incident occurred during the PNP’s Ligtas SUMVAC 2026 operations, which were meant to ensure public safety in tourist areas during the summer season. SBMEI said no coordination with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Law Enforcement Department was made prior to IMEG’s entry into the Freeport.

SBMEI is calling on DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla, as ex-officio chair of Napolcom, to intervene and investigate what it described as a serious breach of protocol.

“IMEG is the unit that is supposed to monitor police integrity. When serious questions are raised about IMEG itself, Napolcom has to answer the most basic question of all: who watches the watchers?” SBMEI said.