2 Koreans and Filipino arrested in Cebu for selling "carnapped vehicles"

CEBU CITY, Philippines—The police arrested two Koreans and a Filipino for alleged involvement in carnapping in Metro Cebu and recovered at least seven Hyundai Starex vans. 

The police identified the suspects as Korean nationals Kim Jae Young, 42, alias Leo Lim/Andy; Hong Seo Yong, 28, alias Luis; and Raphael Montilla, 27, alias Raprap, a registered nurse and a resident of Vista Grande, Barangay (village) Bulacao, Talisay City.
Two of the vans were seized from the house of Montilla while five others were recovered along A.S. Fortuna St. and the streets in Maguikay highway and Cabangcalan, all in Mandaue City. Former Philippine Basketball Association player Ramon Fernandez and his wife, Carla, own one of the recovered vans.

Chief Supt. Marcelo Garbo, chief of Police Regional Office (PRO-7) said the three allegedly belonged to an organized group operating nationwide.

Chief Inspector George Ylanan, chief of Regional Operation Group (RSOG), an operating unit of Regional Intelligence Division (RID), said they first arrested Montilla at his home in Talisay City Tuesday afternoon after they received information that he was selling a Hyundai Starex van for only P40,000.

When the RSOG operatives arrived at Montilla’s home, they saw two Starex vans parked there.

The police asked for the certificates of registration of the two vehicles, but Montilla could not present any so he was arrested and taken to the RSOG office for questioning.
During the investigation, Montilla admitted that two Koreans had asked him to sell the Starex vans.

A follow-up operation was conducted Tuesday night and based on the information Montilla gave, the police arrested Kim and Hong inside a hotel in downtown Cebu City.
The police recovered a manual for Starex van, several keys including blank keys, car door lock components, wrenches, metal piles and other tools—which could be used for a carnapping operation—from the suspects’ room. They also seized syringes and ampoules of Nubain.

When questioned, the two Koreans identified a certain Mr. Chui, a resident of Maria Luisa Village in Banilad, and a certain Mr. Lim of Barangay Mactan in Lapulapu City as the masterminds.

Kim also admitted that he was directly involved in the carnapping of four Starex vans in the past two months only, Ylanan said.

He told the police he was an expert of van accessories even while he was still in Korea. He has been staying here for four years although he had gone back to Korea several times.
Hong, who has been staying in the Philippines for two years, said Kim befriended him when they met at the Mactan airport in January.

However, the police believed that Kim and Hong have long known each other.
Hong said his role was only to inform Chui and Lim of the place where Kim left the carnapped vehicles and to look for a Filipino who would sell the stolen vehicles, he added.

Hong also told the police that the vehicle would be retrieved later by the underlings of Chui and Lim.

Since Tuesday evening, the police had been visiting Korean-owned car shops in Mandaue City.

Chief Inspector Michael Anthony Bastes, chief of Investigation and Detective Management Branch (IDMB) of Mandaue City police, said the Korean shop owners might have been afraid of the police operation so they abandoned the vehicles at the three city streets.
The three will be charged with carnapping; in addition, the two Koreans will be charged with possession of dangerous drugs.

Fernandez told the police that based on the video footage of the closed circuit television camera of their neighbors in Villa Aurora Village, Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City, the Korean and a companion who stole his vehicle on January 19 was not among those who were arrested. 

Based on this information, the police believed that more Koreans were involved in the carnapping operation.

Philippines to continue UN case on Spratlys despite China rejection

MANILA, Philippines—The arbitration proceedings that the Philippines has initiated before the United Nations (UN) against China to nullify the latter’s “excessive” claims in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) will not stop despite Beijing’s rejection of the legal action, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). 

However, the enforcement of any decision of the UN arbitral tribunal, three or four years down the road, will be “another question,” said DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. 

“The arbitration will proceed under Annex VII of Unclos (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) and the five-member arbitration panel will be formed with or without China,” Hernandez said. 

“Even if one party does not join or participate, the process will continue until a decision is made,” he said. 

Article 9 of Unclos’ Annex VII, which stipulates the mechanics of arbitration, states that the “absence of a party or failure of a party to defend its case shall not constitute a bar to the proceedings.” 

On Jan. 22, the Philippines went to the UN to challenge Beijing’s claim to most of the South China Sea (which the Philippines refers to as the West Philippine Sea) and compel it to respect the Philippines’ right to its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and stop Chinese incursions into areas in the disputed waters claimed by the Philippines. 

The Philippines initiated the compulsory proceedings against China as provided for under the Unclos, and asked the UN to declare the Chinese “nine-dash line” outlining its claim to most of the South China Sea, including waters and islands close to its neighbors, as invalid and illegal. 

Formalizing earlier Chinese statements rejecting the Philippines’ arbitration bid, Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing on Tuesday returned the Philippines’ Notification and Statement of Claim through a note verbale handed to the DFA.

Jerry Buss dies at 80!

Jerry Buss built a glittering life at the intersection of sports and Hollywood.

After growing up in poverty in Wyoming, he earned success in academia, aerospace and real estate before discovering his favorite vocation when he bought the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979. While Buss wrote the checks and fostered partnerships with two generations of basketball greats, the Lakers won 10 NBA titles and became a glamorous global brand.

With a scientist's analytical skills, a playboy's flair, a businessman's money-making savvy and a die-hard hoops fan's heart, Buss fashioned the Lakers into a remarkable sports entity. They became a nightly happening, often defined by just one word coined by Buss: Showtime.

"His impact is felt worldwide," said Kobe Bryant, who has spent nearly half his life working for Buss.

Buss, who shepherded his NBA team from the Showtime dynasty of the 1980s to the current Bryant era while becoming one of the most important and successful owners in pro sports, died Monday. He was 80.

"Think about the impact that he's had on the game and the decisions he's made, and the brand of basketball he brought here with Showtime and the impact that had on the sport as a whole," Bryant said a few days ago. "Those vibrations were felt to a kid all the way in Italy who was 6 years old, before basketball was even global."

Under Buss' leadership, the star-studded, trophy-winning Lakers became Southern California's most beloved sports franchise and a signature cultural representation of Los Angeles. Buss acquired, nurtured and befriended a staggering array of talented players and basketball minds during his Hall of Fame tenure, from Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy to Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard.