“They are Chinese nationals and not Korean nationals.”
The Mandaue City Police Office made this clarification on Friday, January 4 about the nationalities of the two foreigners, who were arrested on New Year’s Day for malicious mischief in a hotel in Barangay Bakilid, Mandaue City.
In the initial reports from the MCPO, Inspector Mercy Villaro, public information officer of the MCPO, identified the suspects, Chen Gho and Chen Song, as Korean nationals.
However, upon further investigation, the police found out that the two foreigners were, in fact, Chinese nationals.
According to SPO3 Remigio Arciaga, the investigator of the case, the inability of Gho and Song to speak and understand English caused the confusion about their nationalities.
Villaro relayed the clarification to Cebu Daily News Digital after Superintendent Ryan Devaras, deputy director for operations of the MCPO, verified and confirmed the nationalities of the suspects at around noon of Friday, January 4.
The Korean Consul General earlier requested for a verification of the nationalities of the suspects.
In a letter to Cebu Daily News Digital on January 4, Korean Consul-General Oh Sung Yong, requested that the information be verified after a result of their own investigation revealed that the suspects were in fact Chinese nationals.
“The suspects are not Koreans as we already checked the suspects’ nationality in the concerned police station,” said Consul-General Oh.
Gho and Song were reportedly intoxicated when they got into an argument with the front desk attendant of the hotel located at the J Centre Mall at 5 a.m. on Tuesday.
They allegedly broke the glass of the front desk in an attempt to scatter hotel documents and to threaten the front desk attendant.
The Chinese nationals were arrested by the mall’s security guard and turned over to the Subangdaku Police Station.