CORDILLERA region’s fifth most wanted person (TMWP) for 2017 wanted for murder was finally collared by authorities on April 2 in front of the PRBS office at Camp Crame, Quezon City.
Chief Superintendent Edward Carranza, Police Regional Office-Cordillera (PRO-COR) regional director identified the suspect as former Chief Inspector Diosdado Mirador Mejala, former chief of police of Tubao, La Union.
Mejala is one of the suspects in the murder of Frank Joselito Dacanay Lopez on June 17, 2014, whose cadaver was dumped at Suello Village, Baguio City.
The killing took place after the victim openly criticized the proliferation of flies in Tubao allegedly caused by the poultry farms.
Before going into hiding, Mejala was reassigned to Mimaropa in 2008 after he was charged for a crime of murder but was later dismissed due to utter lack of probable cause.
The case was refiled and after a reinvestigation, it rendered the issuance of his warrant of arrest on July 23, 2015 to which he remained at large and was reportedly hiding in Tubao, La Union.
The arrest of Mejala was a result of the intensified intelligence networking of the combined detectives of CIDG DSOU, CIDG RFU Cordillera and Regional Intelligence Division of PRO-Cordillera.
Judge Maria Ligaya Itliong-Rivera, presiding judge, RTC Br 5, Baguio City did not recommended a bail bond for his temporary liberty.
Another top most wanted person and 16 other wanted persons were nabbed since March 29 to April 2, 2018 as part of PRO-COR's sustained operation against wanted persons.
"The cooperation of the public is being solicited to help our law enforcers arrest criminal suspects in our region the soonest possible time," Carranza stressed.