Authorities arrested an alleged member of a Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) who was wanted for multiple murder cases after he was tracked down inside a hospital in Masbate City, police said.
Operatives from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Masbate Provincial Field Unit, together with the Masbate Police Intelligence Team and the Philippine National Police Special Action Force, served three warrants of arrest for murder against the suspect at the Diocesan Hospital San Antonio de Padua on the evening of May 11.
The suspect was identified only by the alias “Ludy,” a 47-year-old resident of Palanas, Masbate, who was allegedly serving as deputy secretary of Sub-Regional Committee 4 of the CTG.
He was listed in the Armed Forces of the Philippines Periodic Status Report and had also been tagged as a municipal most wanted person by the Milagros Municipal Police Station.
The three murder warrants against him were issued by Masbate courts in 2021, 2022, and 2024, all without recommended bail.
Investigators said “Ludy” was allegedly involved in separate deadly attacks in Masbate between 2018 and 2020.
One of the cases stemmed from the killing of a member of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit in Barangay Panan-Awan, Masbate City on April 4, 2018.
Another involved the fatal shooting of a former barangay captain in Barangay Roosevelt, Masbate City on Sept. 11, 2018.
The third case was linked to an armed attack in Barangay Mahayahay, Placer, Masbate on June 17, 2020 that left three people dead.
The police added that the suspect was located after intensified monitoring operations following an encounter between government troops and alleged CTG members in Barangay Miabas, Palanas, Masbate on May 10.
According to authorities, soldiers conducting internal security operations clashed with around five armed individuals allegedly led by “Ludy.” The firefight reportedly lasted about five minutes before the armed group dispersed.
Security forces later coordinated with hospitals and clinics to monitor possible gunshot patients, eventually leading authorities to the suspect’s location inside the hospital.
Robert Morico II said the arrest forms part of the government’s continuing campaign against terrorism and wanted persons.
The CIDG also commended the operating units involved in the intelligence-driven operation, including CIDG Regional Field Unit 5, local police units, SAF personnel, and the AFP.
Authorities said the suspect is now under police custody for documentation and proper legal proceedings.