A SEARCH warrant operation turned bloody after personnel of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Cebu City Field Unit figured in a shootout with a suspect early Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Sitio Dita, Barangay Pulangbato, Cebu City.
The suspect was identified as Niño Jude Mabano Owatan, a resident of the area.
The CIDG-Cebu City Field Unit, together with personnel from the City Intelligence Unit of the Cebu City Police Office, Regional Intelligence Unit 7, the Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) team, and Talamban Police Station, conducted the operation based on a search warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 17 in Cebu City.
The warrant was issued against Owatan for an alleged violation of Paragraph A, Section 28 of Republic Act 10591, or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act. Authorities were seeking to recover a firearm reportedly kept inside his residence.
However, when police began implementing the search warrant, authorities said Owatan attempted to escape after noticing the presence of law enforcers and allegedly fired shots at them.
This prompted members of the CIDG and Swat personnel to return fire.
Moments later, authorities found Owatan injured and immediately called an ambulance to bring him to a hospital. However, he was declared dead on arrival.
Recovered during the operation were a caliber .45 pistol with ammunition, a sachet of shabu, and various drug paraphernalia.
A CIDG personnel, who requested anonymity, said they received reports from neighbors that Owatan allegedly carried a firearm whenever he left his residence.
The personnel added that Owatan would reportedly shout, “kung kinsa tong mga kawatan diri maigo sa iyang armas” (whoever the thieves are here will get hit by his firearm), which he allegedly frequently said.
Owatan was also facing a murder case, illegal possession of firearms, and a violation of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) gun ban, which had been scheduled for judgment.
He was also allegedly linked to cases involving “rent-tangay” and “rent-sangla” vehicle schemes in Metro Cebu and other parts of the country.
Authorities also identified him as one of the suspects in the abduction of two businessmen at the Miranza Center in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City, on May 11, 2026, an incident whose video went viral on social media.
CIDG Regional Field Unit 7 chief Police Colonel Rosell Encarnacion said the operation was legitimate and that personnel recorded the incident through body-worn cameras and other recording devices in compliance with A.M. No. 21-06-08-SC, or the Rules on the Use of Body-Worn Cameras, to ensure transparency and accountability.
Encarnacion praised the personnel for the successful implementation of the court-issued warrant.
“This operation demonstrates CIDG’s unwavering commitment to serving court processes and bringing law violators to justice. While we always strive for the peaceful implementation of police operations, our personnel are compelled to take appropriate and lawful action when confronted with an imminent threat to their lives. We remain steadfast in our mission to protect the public, suppress criminality, and uphold the rule of law while ensuring that all police operations are conducted with full respect for human rights and existing legal procedures,” Encarnacion said.
The CIDG 7 assured that all seized pieces of evidence would undergo proper legal and forensic procedures.
Despite Owatan’s death, authorities said they are preparing appropriate criminal charges based on the evidence recovered and will submit the case to the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office. (AYB)