The Philippine National Police arrested Cagayan Valley’s No. 3 and No. 7 most wanted persons in separate Isabela operations on August 5, 2026, facing non-bailable charges of qualified and statutory rape.
The No. 3 target, a 30-year-old man, was captured in Barangay Minanga, Naguilian, by the CIDG Isabela and local police under an Ilagan City court warrant. The case originated when school officials noticed the condition of a 16-year-old stepdaughter, who alleged she was repeatedly abused between June 2025 and March 2026 and silenced through threats.
Minutes away in Barangay Tallag, Cabagan, Alicia police nabbed the No. 7 target, a 56-year-old man facing two counts of statutory rape without bail. That investigation stemmed from a 15-year-old victim’s complaint alleging she was assaulted twice in 2022 and threatened with harm if she reported it.
Emphasizing the PNP’s ongoing campaign to protect vulnerable groups, PNP Chief Police General Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. stated, “these arrests send a clear message that no wanted person can evade the law indefinitely. The PNP will relentlessly pursue offenders and ensure they are brought before the courts to answer for their crimes.”
Nartatez added, “hindi kami titigil sa paghahanap sa mga taong nananamantala sa kababaihan at mga bata. Sisiguraduhin naming mananagot sila sa batas at mabibigyan ng hustisya ang bawat biktima.”