BACOLOD CITY – A 51-year-old sugar worker wanted for multiple counts of rape involving a minor in Zamboanga City was arrested in Barangay Maquiling, Sagay City, Negros Occidental on Sunday, May 25, after two years of hiding.
POLICE arrest Zamboanga City’s No. 1 most wanted person for multiple counts of rape involving a minor in Barangay Maquiling, Sagay City, Negros Occidental on Sunday, May 25. (Photo courtesy of Sagay Component City Police Station)
The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office said the suspect was tagged as the No. 1 most wanted person in Zamboanga City and No. 7 most wanted person in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
The suspect was arrested on a warrant dated May 16, 2023 with no bail recommended for 15 counts of qualified rape of a minor issued by the Zamboanga City Regional Trial Court Branch 15.
Another warrant was also served against the suspect for 15 counts of rape by sexual assault. The court set a bail of P200,000 for each count for a total of P3 million.
Police Lt. Col. Alvimar Flores, Sagay police chief, said the suspect worked as a boat mechanic in Zamboanga City and returned home in Negros Occidental in 2023 after learning of the charges against him.
He worked in the province as a sugar worker, Flores added.
The suspect will be turned over to the issuing court for further proceedings.
The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office said that this successful operation marks a significant development in the pursuit of justice for victims of sexual violence and highlighted the continued efforts of law enforcement agencies in tracking and apprehending fugitives nationwide.