ACCOUNTING for all wanted lawbreakers in the country is one of the main programs of Philippine National Police chief, General Benjamin C. Acorda Jr. as he leads the 228,000-strong police force as its 29th head since 1991.

“We will prioritize aggressive and honest Law Enforcement Operations that respect human rights and increase conviction rate. We will intensify our operations against all forms of criminality and illegal activities while upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency,” the top cop said.

As part of his program, Gen. Acorda has ordered all 17 Police Regional Offices and the different PNP National Operational Support Units led by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) to go all-out in arresting wanted persons nationwide.

He said that by jailing wanted criminals, police are not giving them any more opportunity to hit their targets.

Last week, Gen. Acorda bared the arrest of 22,649 most wanted persons in the country from January 1 to April 21 this year alone amid their intensified efforts to account for all lawbreakers with warrants of arrests issued by different courts nationwide.

The top cop said the arrests were the product of ‘intelligence-driven operations’ aimed at sending wanted persons to jail and preventing the possibility they would victimize more innocent people.

Gen. Acorda said majority of the suspects were wanted for heinous crimes including murder, rape and robbery-holdup.

“Our achievements in the first quarter of 2023 demonstrate the commitment and dedication of the PNP in carrying out our mandate to uphold the rule of law and bring criminals to justice,” the PNP chief said as he congratulated his men for their hard work and dedication in pursuing wanted criminals across the country.

Gen. Acorda said he wants all concerned PNP units to further intensify their campaign against wanted persons wherein they are being evaluated by the PNP leadership.

“We will not rest until all criminals are brought to justice. We will continue to work closely with other law enforcement agencies and the community to ensure that our streets are safe for our fellow Filipinos,” he said.

According to the PNP chief, their community policing program has also contributed well to their campaign against wanted persons as many citizens now have been feeding the police with reliable information regarding the presence of most wanted persons in their neighborhood.

“We cannot do this alone, and we need the help and cooperation of the public. Let us work together towards achieving our common goal of a peaceful and prosperous Philippines,” Gen. Acorda said.

PNP-CIDG director, Brigadier Gen. Romeo M. Caramat said he has ordered all his 17 Regional Field Offices and the different CIDG operating units to ensure they will be catching targets given to them on a regular basis.

Since last April 24, PNP-CIDG agents across the country have accounted for over 600 law offenders and confiscated over 100 illegal firearms that can be used to sow violence in the streets, said Brig. Gen. Caramat.

From April 25 to 30, the PNP-CIDG director said the conduct of their Intensified Anti-Criminality Operations or CIACO saw his men launching a total of 527 anti-crime raids, searches and manhunt operations.

Brig. Gen. Caramat said that among those arrested as a result of their Oplan: Pagtugis during the period were 49 Regional Most Wanted or MWPs; 43 Provincial MWPs; 40 Municipal and City Level MWPs and 238 Other Wanted Persons.

He added that as a result of their Oplan: Paglalansag Omega or campaign against partisan armed groups and loose firearms, his men accounted for 88 suspects during the service of 85 search warrant s for violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013 and RA 9516 or illegal possession of explosives.

The PNP-CIDG director said the operations led to the confiscation of 114 firearms of different calibers, 5 explosives and dozens of live ammunition.

The official said they also confiscated some P5.3 million worth of counterfeit goods and arrested 19 so-called ‘economic saboteurs’ last week amid their stepped-up enforcement of their Oplan: Megashopper’ aimed at neutralizing persons and groups violating the Intellectual Property Rights Co and are involved in the smuggling, manufacture and distribution of fake consumer products nationwide.

He added that 14 persons were also arrested while some P888,000 worth of evidence were seized during the period amid their campaign against the destruction of natural resources including the country’s forests.

A day after Gen. Acorda took over the top PNP post, the PNP-CIDG arrested 137 lawbreakers and confiscated nearly P2 million worth of crime evidence.

Brig. Gen. Caramat said they conducted 128 anti-crime operations across the country on that day a day after Gen. Acorda took over as the 29th PNP chief leading to the arrest of 137 suspects and the confiscation of some P1.937 million worth of evidence.

“We are going all-out versus criminality to account for all wanted persons and suppress all illegal activities that threaten the country’s peace and security,” the official said.

Records showed that last April 25, the PNP-CIDG conducted 98 manhunt operations nationwide under their Oplan: Pagtugis leading in the capture of 33 MWPs, 13 of them classified as Regional MWPs, 10 Provincial MWPS and 10 Municipal MWPs.

The 65 others were classified as Other Wanted Persons.

Among those arrested by the PNP-CIDG were Ronald Seguros, a former New People’s Army squad leader in Caraga region tagged as the 2nd most wanted person in Region 13 who is facing criminal charges for multiple attempted murder and robbery-in-band; Danny Lopez, the 4th most wanted man in Caraga region facing a non-bailable statutory rape case; and Isagani Naldo, the 5th most wanted person in Region 12 who is also facing a statutory rape case with no bail recommended by the court.

Also arrested by the PNP-CIDG on the same day was Louisito Sanchez, a suspected leader of a gunrunning syndicate in Tanza, Cavite. The suspect yielded a caliber .45 pistol, one 9mm pistol and two magazines with 19 live ammunition.

Brig. Gen. Caramat said his men raided the suspect’s house in Barangay Daang Amaya 1, Tanza on the strength of a search warrant for violation of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulations Act of 2013 issued by Judge Agripino Bravo of the Lucena City RTC Branch 55.

A 2nd raid in Bgy. San Francisco in General Trias City in Cavite led to the arrest of Rhoderick Lagamson who yielded a .45 pistol, a 9mm barrel, two magazines and 115 rounds of live ammunition.

He said they also accounted for a total of 21 illegal firearms and two explosives as they intensified their effort to account for unauthorized weapons that could be used to commit violence in the streets.

The official added the day also saw the arrest of seven men involved in smuggling, manufacturing, distribution and trading of counterfeit items.

On Monday, the PNP-CIDG also arrested 26 lawbreakers including a Regional MWP and 17 Other Wanted Persons.

The arrested suspects include Sargen Parientes, the 4th most wanted person in Region 8 where he is facing a non-bailable case for two counts of statutory rape; and Russel Cabral, the accused leader of the Eastside Command Criminal Group wanted for an attempted homicide case with no bail recommended.