Police arrested a National Most Wanted Person in Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental, ending more than three decades of alleged evasion from justice.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) said the manhunt operation was conducted on July 2, 2026, in Barangay Baybay Triunfo. Operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Misamis Occidental Provincial Field Unit arrested the suspect identified only as alias “Pete,” a Filipino of legal age and a resident of Gutalac, Zamboanga del Norte.
Police said Pete was listed as a National Most Wanted Person and carried a P80,000 monetary reward from the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Authorities served him two warrants of arrest for murder and multiple murder with frustrated murder, both issued by a court in Lanao del Norte. No bail was recommended in both cases.
Based on the police investigation, the accused and a co-accused allegedly opened fire on a residence in Tubod, Lanao del Norte on August 14, 1993, using high-powered firearms.
The attack killed four people and left another victim seriously wounded. Authorities said the incident allegedly stemmed from a land dispute.
Police said the suspect went into hiding for more than 32 years and allegedly moved across Davao, Zamboanga del Norte, Lanao del Norte, Marawi, and Misamis Occidental to avoid arrest.
PNP Chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said intelligence gathering and sustained manhunt operations even after three decades have passed eventually led authorities to Pete’s location.