EASTERN Visayas police regional director Brigadier General Jason Capoy has ordered an investigation over the reported disappearance of Catholic priest Edwin Caintoy on December 23, 2025.
Capoy said the police in the region "is treating the matter with the utmost importance to verify the circumstances surrounding the incident, while actively pursuing all available leads to locate Father Caintoy as soon as possible."
"Any information circulating on social media claiming that Father Caintoy has been found remains unverified. The public and the media are advised to rely only on official sources for confirmed updates," Capoy said in a statement to the media on Friday, December 27.
Caintoy, 55, has been assigned as the parish priest of San Jose de Malibago Parish at Barangay Malibago, Babatngon, Leyte.
"Police Regional Office 8 likewise encourages anyone with relevant information to coordinate with the Babatngon Municipal Police Station or the nearest police station for prompt action," Capoy said.
As this developed, the Archbishop of Palo appointed Father Arnold Aurelio as the interim parish administrator of San Jose de Malibago Parish effective December 26. (Ronald O. Reyes/SunStar Philippines)