Cebu City's 5th most wanted captured

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City’s top five most wanted was arrested during a saturation drive conducted by elements of the Cebu City Police Intelligence Branch last Friday night.

Marciano Villanueva was arrested after hiding for almost four years. He is facing a murder charge for which a warrant of arrest was issued against him by Regional Trial Court Judge Eric Menchavez last 2007. The case is non-bailable.

City police intelligence chief Romeo Santander said Villanueva was arrested at around 10pm after he was identified positively by a police asset.

“Abi namo og wala siya but pag abot sa among asset nga gikan sa laing grupo, na ilhan namo ug amo dayon gi-dakop,” he said.

Villanueva was sweeping tin foil outside his house when arrested.

To prevent a possible escape, operatives and members of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT) immediately surrounded the suspect.

Santander said they have also received reports that Villanueva is also involved in selling illegal drugs at the A. Lopez and Calamba areas. These reports, however, are subject to verification.

Villanueva will be presented to court on Monday. He is currently detained at the Cebu City Police Office stockade.

The said saturation drive was a joint operation of the CIB and the CCPO headed by Inspectors Proferio Gabuya and William Alicaba.

Just this week, police was on the brink of arresting Rodrigo Labitad, alleged to be Central Visayas’ most wanted, but the subject escaped by running toward a thick wooden area on the mountainside in the mountain barangay of Pamutan.

Police tried to apprehended him at around 12 midday while Labitad was washing fresh ginger, but he managed to pull out his carbine and fired at the policemen before running to flee.

Cebu City Police Office Director Melvin Ramon Buenafe had said Labitad escaped because his avid “followers” helped him.

“He has followers in the mountain barangay,” Buenafe said said.

The city police director is certain that if not for some “followers” or accomplices, Labitad could not have escaped after the police surrounded the area. “Naa siya’y mga protector or mga parente sa area mao nga nakatakas siya,” he said.

They also received reports that Labitad organized a group in the area. Though Labitad’s escape elicited criticism on the authorities’ failure to arrest him, Buenafe insisted that the suspect is still near the area after he was seriously wounded by PO2 Crisostomo Bayato with his M4 Armalite.

“Base sa mga dugo nga nakit-an sa lugar kuyaw to ang iyang kahimtang ug wala gyud to siya naka-layo sa lugar,” he said.

Buenafe said they also could not recover the P300,000 bounty yet without Labitad’s body as proof. “Substantiated by evidence before ma-claim ang reward,” he said.

Last Tuesday’s operation was the fourth against Labitad who was tagged responsible for killing three of his neighbors in Talisay City in the late 1990s.

Aside from IDMB, the National Bureau of Investigation has also been searching for him for years.

The police recovered from the area three hand grenades, a carbine rifle, a black bonnet, and several talismans locally known as “habak” which were placed inside a black bag.

Investigators said that they started monitoring Labitad on Monday after they received reports of his presence in the area. (FREEMAN)