By Jennifer P. Rendon
A 48-year-old farmer accused of rape in Mindanao was arrested on the morning of February 24 in Jaro, Iloilo City.
Members of the Iloilo City Police Station 1 apprehended a man known as Sammy after they lured him by arranging a meeting with a woman in Barangay Camalig, Jaro.
Sammy, from Poblacion, Santa Josefa, Agusan del Sur, had been evading the law in Capiz province following the issuance of an arrest warrant against him in the CARAGA region.
The arrest was executed by virtue of a warrant for rape in connection with Republic Act 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act) docketed as Criminal Case No. 24-1106.
Judge Den Ryan R. Cagas of the 10th Regional Trial Court, Branch 55 in Trento, Agusan Del Sur, issued the arrest warrant on February 2, 2024.
No bail has been recommended for his release.
Captain Roque Gimeno III, the chief of Iloilo City Police Station 1, said Sammy is considered the second most wanted person in the town of Sta. Josefa.
Originally from Da, Capiz, Sammy settled in Agusan del Sur after getting married.
According to Gimeno, it was observed that Sammy had returned to Capiz shortly before the issuance of his arrest warrant.
The suspect is currently in custody and will be turned over to the court in Agusan del Sur province.