A young Filipino man became the center of an unusual story after a video showed him being lifted into the air by a large drone at a port in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro in March.
The video initially appeared to show a man trying out a powerful drone for fun. Months later, however, the footage was linked to an alleged plan to help a Korean inmate escape from the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm (SPPF) based in Mindoro.
According to “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho,” a South Korean television network reported that the flight was supposedly a test run for the planned escape of Korean inmate Park Wang-yeol. The report also identified the Filipino man in the viral video as an alleged accomplice.
The man, identified as NJ, denied having any involvement in the alleged plan.
‘Trip-trip lang’
NJ said that he and his friends were at the port to swim when they saw a Korean tourist flying a large drone.
He said they were impressed by the size of the drone and were told that it could carry a person weighing up to 75 kilograms. NJ then volunteered to ride it.
“Nag-voluntary na po ako sasakay at tatalon po ako sa dagat,” he said.
[I voluntarily decided to get on and jump into the sea.]
He said the Korean tourist taught him how to attach himself to the drone and told him not to let go or move too much. The drone then lifted him above the water before he eventually fell into the sea.
“Trip-trip lang po para pakita sa amin sa tropa namin kung kaya o hindi,” he said.
[It was just for fun to show our group of friends whether we could do it or not.]
Iris, one of the people who witnessed the incident, also recorded the flight. He said they were surprised that the drone was actually able to lift a person and carry him over the sea.
NJ said he did not know the Korean man personally and only encountered him while the latter was staying at a hotel in the area. He said he was surprised when the video later became part of reports in South Korea linking him to an alleged escape plan.
“Ako pa ‘yung napagbintangan na kasabwat doon kahit wala naman akong kaalam-alam,” he said.
[I was accused of being an accomplice, even though I had no idea about it whatsoever.]
NJ said that if the flight was indeed a test for an escape plan, he may have unknowingly been used for it, maintaining that he was not part of any plan to help Park escape.
“Kung kasabwat po ako dun, edi sana hinuli na ako,” he said, adding that his experience also taught him to be more careful about people he encounters.
[If I were an accomplice, then I should have been arrested already.]
“Alamin po muna kung sino ‘yung tao o kung sino ‘yung mga nakasalamuha mo para malaman mo kung masama ba o mabuti ‘yung tao na ‘yun.”
[Find out first who the person is or who they hang out with, so you can know whether that person is bad or good.]
Who is Park Wang-yeol?
Park Wang-yeol was detained at the New Bilibid Prison after his arrest in 2016 in connection with the deaths of three fellow Koreans whose bodies were reportedly found in a sugarcane field in Pampanga.
Park was also previously reported to have escaped from detention.
In 2017, he and another Korean man reportedly opened a hole in the ceiling and roof of their cell at Camp Bagong Diwa.
In 2019, he escaped through a ventilation window in a restroom. The Pampanga provincial government later offered a P300,000 reward for information leading to his capture. He was arrested again in Calamba, Laguna in 2020.
After
In 2022, Park was sentenced to 60 years in prison. During his detention, he tried to escape twice before being transferred to the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm.
The South Korean report later linked him to an alleged plan to escape using a drone. The report claimed that around US$74,000, or more than P4 million, was spent on the plot.
Authorities looking into the reported escape plot
The Sablayan Municipal Police Station said it had received information about a possible attempt to help Park escape and coordinated with the Bureau of Corrections.
Police said they were still working to establish the identities and whereabouts of the people allegedly involved in the scheme.
Park was temporarily brought to South Korea in March to face a drug-related case.
The Bureau of Corrections, meanwhile, said that even if a drone escape plot existed, carrying it out from prisons would be difficult.
In a statement, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. (Ret.) said drones capable of carrying a person would produce significant noise that could be heard by prison personnel. It also noted that the prison is a no-fly zone and has watchtowers operating 24/7.
Hotel confirms Korean guest
The management of the hotel where the Korean individual reportedly stayed declined an interview but confirmed to the “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” team that they had a Korean guest who introduced himself as “Mr. Kim.”
The hotel said the guest stayed for 18 days and did not pay for his accommodations.
“Julia”, not the real name of the sister of the person who uploaded the viral video, also said the Korean man returned several times after the video was posted and went looking for her sibling.
She said she could not confirm whether the person involved was the same Korean man mentioned in the reports because she had not personally met him.
The family also expressed concern about their safety and hoped authorities would identify the drone operator.