By Glazyl M. Jopson
BACOLOD CITY – Police arrested a 20-year-old man wanted for rape in Mandaluyong City on Tuesday.
Police Lt. Col. Antonio Benitez Jr., head of the Bacolod City Police Office’s (BCPO) City Intelligence Unit, said it took two months to track the suspect, who had been hiding in Luzon.
After confirming his identity, officers served the arrest warrant and transported him back to Bacolod on Tuesday night.
The suspect was listed as the second most wanted person in Western Visayas and the seventh on BCPO’s list.
Benitez said the arrest was the result of ongoing intelligence operations.
The suspect is accused of raping a 16-year-old girl in Barangay Granada last year. The alleged incident occurred when the girl attended a friend’s birthday party.
The girl’s father was one of two suspects involved in the killing of 22-year-old Nicus Balagosa, whom they falsely accused of taking part in the rape.
Balagosa was shot dead in front of his parents at their home on June 2, 2024, weeks before his 21st birthday.
BCPO Director Police Col. Joeresty Coronica said the arrest of the rape suspect was a major breakthrough in the case.
Meanwhile, he said police are still searching for Balagosa’s killers.
“We are trying our best to arrest them,” Coronica said.
Balagosa’s parents have offered a PHP150,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of their son’s murderers. Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez also pledged a PHP50,000 bounty.
In a media interview, the suspect, now in the custody of Police Station 5, denied the allegations, claiming he had nothing to do with the crime.
He said he fled to Manila to stay with his mother because he feared for his safety.
He also claimed both he and Balagosa were innocent.
“I will face the accusations against me in court,” he said.
Mayor Benitez welcomed the arrest, calling it proof that the justice system and law enforcement are working.
He also acknowledged the role of the community and stakeholders in preventing crime.
