A joint law enforcement operation led to the arrest of a national most wanted fugitive in Upi, Maguindanao del Norte, ending a 37-year manhunt for his involvement in a 1989 fatal shooting in Isabela.
Operatives from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Isabela Provincial Field Unit, alongside the Provincial Intelligence Team Isabela and auxiliary police units, apprehended the suspect in Barangay Nuro Poblacion on September 2, 2026.
The arrest was executed under a warrant for murder issued on August 28, 2026, by a court in Ilagan, Isabela, with no bail recommended.
According to a report submitted to CIDG Director Police Major General Robert Alexander A. Morico II, the suspect carried a ₱50,000 bounty under a Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Memorandum Circular due to his national-level wanted status.
The case stems from an incident on August 24, 1989, in Barangay Bagutari, Sto. Tomas, Isabela.
The suspect allegedly opened fire on four individuals passing near his residence following a long-standing land dispute, killing the victims instantly. Following the shooting, the suspect fled Isabela and hid in various regions before establishing residence in Maguindanao del Norte to evade law enforcement.
CIDG leadership commended Police Colonel Rodrigo B. Soriano, Regional Chief of CIDG RFU 2, and Police Lieutenant Colonel Rex G. Pascua of the CIDG Isabela PFU for tracking the suspect across regional lines.
The arrested individual was placed in police custody pending proper legal proceedings and transfer to the issuing court.
