The local police cleared two of Bato town’s top wanted men with the arrest of the No. 2 and No. 4 wanted personalities on the same day recently, the Catanduanes Police Provincial Office reported last week.
First to fall on Feb. 2, 2021 at 9:30 A.M. was the No. 2 Municipal Most Wanted Person, a 32-year old welder identified by the police as a certain “Badong” and a resident of barangay San Andres.
Joint elements of the Bato police station, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)- Catanduanes Provincial Field Unit (PFU), 97 Military Intelligence Company (MICO) of Philippine Army’s 9th Infantry Division, and the 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC) served on the welder the warrant of arrest issued by Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 43 Presiding Judge Lelu P. Contreras in connection with Criminal Case No. 7665.
“Badong” has been charged for violation of Section 5 (b) of RA 7610, or committing sexual intercourse or lascivious conduct with a child, for which he can be meted imprisonment of 12 to 20 years or reclusion perpetua. Bail for his temporary liberty during trial has been set at P180,000.
Nearly 12 hours later and hundreds of kilometers away in Bulacan province, operatives of the Bato police station and the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Internal Security Operations Tracker Team District Mobile Force Battalion collared the Catanduanes town’s No. 4 Municipal Most Wanted Person.
The 21-year old construction worker identified by the police as “Dave” was arrested at 8 P.M. that day in barangay Tigbe in Norzagaray town where he had been temporarily staying since Criminal Case No. 7306 was filed against him before RTC Branch 43.
The offense, for committing other acts of child abuse, cruelty or exploitation or other conditions prejudicial to the child’s development, carries a penalty of prision mayor in its minimum period or about six to eight years in jail. He will have to cough up cash or property for his bail of P80,000.
The successive apprehensions is in line with the Catanduanes police’s continuing and heightened operations under “Manhunt Charlie” for those wanted by the courts.