The E.B. Magalona Municipal Police Station in Negros Occidental is offering a P20,000 cash reward to anyone who can provide information on the whereabouts of a 58-year-old rape suspect, who escaped the station's custodial facility, a week after his apprehension.
A flash alarm was posted by the local police in their social media page on Tuesday, Sept. 9, asking for help to locate the escapee identified as Bebeng, a fisherman, and a resident of Barangay Tuburan, E.B. Magalona.
The suspect was arrested in Barangay Tuburan on Sept. 1 for qualified rape of a minor through an arrest warrant issued and signed by a court in Silay City on Aug. 29, with no bail recommended.
Police Lt. Col. Joem Malong, spokesperson for the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR), said that personnel from the Investigation and Intelligence Units of the provincial police office were dispatched to augment the town police force and conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the escape.
Police Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, PRO-NIR chief, has ordered the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office to launch intensified operations for the immediate recapture of the suspect.
“PRO-NIR and Nocppo immediately initiated a province-wide dragnet and manhunt operation to track down the escapee,” Malong said.
Following the incident, PRO-NIR has tightened security protocols in all custodial facilities across the province and the entire region, including Bacolod City, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor, to ensure that similar incidents will not occur.
Ibay has also placed the operation under strict command oversight and monitoring to guarantee accountability and coordinated action among all concerned units, stressing that corrective measures are already in place.
He assured the public that PRO-NIR is exerting all efforts for the swift recapture of the suspect, and encouraged them to remain calm, vigilant, and cooperative by immediately reporting any information about the suspect.