ORMOC CITY – A 16-year-old boy, listed as Eastern Visayas’ Top 1 Most Wanted Person under the Child in Conflict with the Law (CICL) category, was arrested on Monday, July 7, 2025, in Barangay Busay, Barugo, Leyte, for two counts of statutory rape.
The suspect, an out-of-school youth and resident of Barugo, was apprehended at around 3:30 p.m. by joint operatives from the Barugo Municipal Police Station (MPS), Regional Intelligence Unit (RIU), Provincial Intelligence Team–Leyte, 2nd Leyte Provincial Mobile Force Company (LPMFC), and the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO).
The arrest was made by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued on July 2, 2025, by Judge Lauro Andres Perez Castillo Jr., presiding judge of RTC Branch 36, Carigara, Leyte, under Criminal Case Nos. R-BAR-2025-031-CR and R-BAR-2025-032-CR. No bail was recommended by the court.
Following standard procedures for minors in conflict with the law, the suspect was brought to Barugo MPS for documentation and later turned over to the MSWDO for proper custody and intervention, in accordance with child protection and juvenile justice protocols.
Authorities have not released further details due to the sensitivity of the case and the suspect’s minor status.
(ELVIE ROMAN ROA)
