PNP-10 arrests most wanted man

Cagayan de Oro City - P/Chief Supt. Teodorico B. Capuyan of the Philippine National Police, region 10, has commended the officers and informants for their sustained drive of arresting wanted persons and criminals in the region.
Particularly commended are the elements of the 1002 Provincial Police Mobile Group (PPMG) led by P/Supt. Rolando Erlano Destura and P/Insp. Cipriano Villaflor Bazar, Jr. of the Intelligence and Investigation Division (IID), Misamis Oriental Provincial Police Office (PPO).
“The joint operations of these units resulted in the arrest of Allan Maagad Lagat a.k.a. Esboy, considered the No.1 most wanted person (MWP) in Northern Mindanao on Oct. 5, 2007 in Barangay Sihayon, Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental,” he said.
The arrest of the 35 year-old Lagat who is married and a resident of the said barangay was pursuant to a warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court (RTC), Branch 39, Cgayan de Oro for escaping from jail and robbery docketed under criminal case number 2003-1037 signed by Judge Downey Valdevilla.
Lagat carries with him a monetary reward of Php300,000 or his arrest/ neutralization per a Dept. of Interior and Local Government (DILG) memorandum circular no. 2004-168 dated Dec. 16, 2004.
During a media forum where he was presented by the PNP, Lagat revealed that he has been hiding among his relatives in Maramag, Bukidnon immediately after he escaped by climbing over the fence of the Mis. Or. Provincial Jail in Cagayan de Oro City in 2001.
Meanwhile, Capuyan said the ranking of the MWPs takes a long and evolving process that engages the investigators to undergo a workshop for more information on the criminal and being an “escapee” adds to the weight of the person’s offense.
Every municipality comes up with its own ranking which it forwards to the province. Then the ranking goes to the region which also forwards it to the PNP Hqs in Camp Crame for evaluation, after which the release of the monetary reward to the informants will be based on a DILG memorandum order.
“However, the reward money can not be claimed by anybody who is connected with the government, such as the PNP,” Capuyan clarified
Asked why no “shoot to kill” order was made for Lagat, Capuyan said “the word shoot to kill is ‘mao nay produkto sa media (Is merely a product of the media)’ since it is never found in the vocabulary of the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).”
“We have to respect the rights of a criminal. However, if he draws a gun, the operational procedure is only to neutralize/immobilize but not to kill him. The policeman is supposed to fire on him aiming at his arms or legs. But it would be to the criminal’s misfortune if he ducks and gets hit on the head which could be fatal,” Capuyan explained.
However, if the policeman empties his magazine in the process, then that would be a different story since it would appear that what he has done is no longer done “self defense” and that is the very reason why some of our policemen are facing charges “kay gihurot man nila ang usa ka magazine nga bala (because they fired all the ammunition in the magazine),” he remarked.

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