Ex-Justice Isias Dicdican wanted for Joey Luis Wee murder

A LOCAL court has issued an arrest warrant for retired Court of Appeals justice Isaias Dicdican, who is wanted for murder in connection with the 2020 killing of lawyer Joey Luis Wee in Cebu City.

The warrant, dated May 26, 2025, and signed by Cebu City Regional Trial Court Branch 14 Judge Merlo Pasco Bagano, orders law enforcement to apprehend Dicdican. SunStar Cebu obtained a copy of the warrant on Thursday, May 29. 

Dicdican faces a charge of murder under Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code, which is a non-bailable offense. The court mandates that arresting officers use body-worn cameras and adhere to Supreme Court rules for warrant execution to ensure proper documentation.

The arrest order follows a May 19 court ruling that granted the prosecution’s motion to admit an amended information, which names Dicdican as a co-conspirator in Wee’s killing. Also indicted in the case are retired colonel Edwin Forrosuelo Layese and three alleged gunmen.

Layese, who is already in custody, had expressed support for the amended charges but asked the court to reclassify him as an accomplice or accessory rather than a principal. The court denied this request, ruling that only the prosecution has the authority to determine whom to charge and in what capacity.

State witness application

Layese has since applied to become a state witness. Sources familiar with his plea say he is willing to testify against what he calls the “real masterminds” of the crime.

“He prays for the grant of his application as a state witness Asap so that he can testify on his judicial affidavit of confession against the real masterminds,” said Rameses Victorius Villagonzalo, Layese’s legal counsel. 

Villagonzalo added that Layese hopes Dicdican will surrender or be arrested immediately.

Wee was gunned down outside his office in Barangay Kasambagan by assailants on a motorcycle on Nov. 23, 2020. 

Security camera footage and forensic evidence led to the arrest of three alleged hitmen who are facing trial.

In its April 2025 resolution, the Department of Justice stated that Dicdican should be held equally liable for murder. This decision was based on testimony and corroborating evidence suggesting he was the person ultimately behind the plot, using Layese to coordinate the contract killing.  

The motive behind Dicdican’s alleged plot to kill Wee appears to be work-related and connected to a grudge involving another person named “Riza.” 

According to the extrajudicial confession of one of the accused gunmen, Dicdican, together with Riza, offered P1 million for the killing of Wee. Riza reportedly held a grudge against Wee over a case in which she was liable to pay a large sum of money to Wee’s clients after losing, and she was also allegedly bullied by Wee in and out of court.  / CAV