A COP assigned at Police Station 5 of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) voluntarily surrendered to Brigadier General Arnold Thomas Ibay, Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) director, on November 1, 2025.
The surrender came after the policeman admitted his involvement in the disappearance and death of Kristine Joy Dignadice of Victorias City who was reported missing earlier.
The 42-year-old victim was reported missing on October 29 after her car was found abandoned with bloodstains in Sitio So-ol, Barangay Gargato, Hinigaran, Negros Occidental.
Ibay said the suspect, with a rank of staff sergeant, voluntarily surrendered at Camp Alfredo M. Montelibano Sr. in Bacolod City. He was assisted by a legal counsel during the process and confessed his involvement in the disappearance and killing of the victim.
He said the suspect then identified a possible location in Hinigaran where he allegedly concealed the body.
Following his confession, he added that a search and recovery operations were conducted by Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) and the Special Investigation Team to locate the remains and gather further evidence.
The body of Dignadice was retrieved from a sugarcane field and was brought to Peñafiel Funeral Homes.
The victim, a single mother, has a 10-year-old child.
Ibay assured the public that there will be no cover-up in the ongoing investigation of the case.
Ibay said the surrender of the suspect is a significant breakthrough, but he also reaffirmed the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) commitment to uphold integrity and accountability in handling the case.
“There will be no cover-up. We will let the evidence speak for itself. The full force of the law will be applied regardless of who is involved. Justice will be served to the victim and her family,” he said.
Ibay also ordered a parallel administrative investigation to ensure transparency and accountability within the organization.
“We owe it to the public we serve to demonstrate that no one is above the law. We will make sure that this case is pursued with fairness, professionalism, and compassion for the victim’s family,” Ibay said.
He said the PRO-NIR continues to coordinate with the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office and other concerned units to ensure that all aspects of the investigation are handled thoroughly and objectively.
Negros Occidental Third District Representative Javier Miguel Benitez also requested swift action from the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the PNP, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) regarding the brutal murder of Dignadice.
Benitez said on his Facebook page that he is calling for a full and transparent investigation by the DOJ and PNP, administrative and criminal accountability through the DILG and Ombudsman, and independent monitoring by the CHR to ensure fairness and due process.
"My office is coordinating with local authorities to provide legal and psychosocial support for Kristine Joy’s family. Justice for Kristine Joy must be swift, transparent, and complete," Benitez said. (MAP)