OVER the course of July 2025, the Central Visayas police arrested 434 wanted persons as part of their intensive campaign to find individuals with pending warrants of arrest.
According to the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7, from July 1-31, of the 434 wanted persons, 102 were identified as most wanted individuals facing serious charges in various parts of Central Visayas, while 332 had ordinary cases.
The arrests were a result of the collaboration between various police units in Region 7.
Of the total number of most wanted persons, 36 were at the regional level, 38 at the provincial level, eight at the city level and 20 at the municipal level.
This intensified operation is in accordance with the Philippine National Police chief’s directive to pursue those who remain at large and pose a danger of committing more crimes.
PRO 7 Director Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan said every arrest of a wanted person is a victory for justice and a message to those who continue to hide that there is no escape, no matter where they hide, because they will eventually be caught.
“Every arrest is a victory for justice and a message to those in hiding — you cannot escape. We will find you and hold you accountable under the law,” said Maranan.
Thousands more wanted persons with pending warrants of arrest issued by the court are currently being sought by the police.
Lt. Col. Maria Theresa Macatangay, the deputy city director for operations at the Cebu City Police Office, revealed that their jurisdiction arrested 19 wanted persons.
She explained that this number is still low because there are many more to be arrested, but they are encountering problems.
Some of those with warrants are no longer in their residences, especially those who were just renting.
There are over a thousand more warrants of arrest in their police stations that they are working to serve, with personnel continuously searching for them everyday.
“That was one of our topics of discussion before the Cebu City Justice Zones because some of these warrants are really old, like several years old. These individuals who are subjects of the warrants, despite the exhaustive efforts of the police here in Cebu City to find them at their last known address and even in their other possible locations where they might be, cannot be found already,” Macatangay said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
However, she announced that wherever an accused with a pending warrant of arrest may travel, they can still be arrested since their warrants can now be accessed online. / AYB
