Western Visayas' most wanted nabbed

ILOILO CITY — After 14 years, Western Visayas' most wanted person was finally arrested.

The now 48-year-old Antonio Aquino, who hails from Sta. Barbara town in Iloilo, was arrested at 2 p.m. Friday in Marikina City.

Members of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO), the Regional Intelligence Division-6 (RID-6), the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of Manila, and the Marikina Police Station arrested Aquino inside the New Wave Mall, where he has been working as a janitor.

The team, led by Senior Inspector Fernando Punzalan Jr., nabbed Aquino by virtue of an arrest warrant for Criminal Case Number 02-26026, for murder.

Senior Superintendent Marlon Tayaba, IPPO director, said the suspect's arrest carried a reward of P300,000, as per DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2004-11. He is the primary suspect in the killing of Bonifacio Merindad, a government employee, in Sta. Barbara town.

Tayaba said Merindad apparently boxed the suspect, who retaliated by shooting the victim. Aquino was also involved in a murder incident in Guimaras province and a hacking incident in Cabatuan town of Iloilo where the victim was also killed.

After his murder involvement, Tayaba said Aquino joined the then notorious Prion Group, which was allegedly engaged in robbery hold-up and cattle rustling.

When the Prior Group was neutralized, the suspect went into hiding. Tayaba said there were several attempts to arrest the suspect in the past.

Policemen had monitored Aquino to be hiding in Sta. Barbara and Cabatuan towns but he was not arrested. Operatives also went to several areas in Negros Occidental but the suspect was not also arrested.

Finally, Tayaba said they received information that he was working in Marikina City and had been using the name Anton Aquino in his documents. The suspect was scheduled to be brought to Iloilo yesterday, and will be turned over to the court that issued the arrest warrant.