AUTHORITIES arrested one of the most wanted persons tagged as the suspect in the killing of an education official in the province of Sulu, the police said Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) identified the arrested suspect as alias Ning, 22, the number eight most wanted person of Police Regional Office-Zamboanga Peninsula.
The CIDG said the suspect was arrested during a manhunt operation on Sunday, July 12, in Gimba Lagasan village, Parang, Sulu.
“The suspect was arrested by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by a Jolo court on March 2, 2026, for a murder case with no recommended bail,” the CIDG said in its report.
Authorities said the suspect was wanted in connection with the killing of Sonatria Gaspar, assistant schools division superintendent of the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education Sulu.
She was killed inside her office in downtown Jolo on February 7, 2025.
The manhunt operation was led by the CIDG Sulu Provincial Field Unit, in coordination with the 41st Infantry Battalion, the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force, and other police intelligence units. (SunStar Zamboanga)