2 inmates rearrested in Leyte

INQUIRER FILES

TACLOBAN CITY — Two inmates who escaped from a sub-provincial jail in Calubian town, Leyte on Thursday, Oct. 31, were apprehended on Friday morning, Nov. 1.

Arnold Haliclic, 44, and Reggie Pepito, 32, were arrested during a manhunt conducted by authorities.

The escapees, both charged with illegal drug offenses and illegal possession of firearms, reportedly fled by scaling an unfinished concrete wall and boarding a motorcycle.

The search operations were conducted by the Calubian police, the 2nd Leyte Provincial Mobile Force Company, Philippine Coast Guard, Provincial Intelligence Unit, and Leyte Sub-Provincial Jail personnel. Community force multipliers also supported the mission.

Acting on a tip, the search team converged on a mangrove forest in Barangay Cabalquinto, where Haliclic and Pepito were believed to be hiding.

Authorities blocked all escape routes, forcing the men to surrender around 4 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 1.

Haliclic, a resident of Barangay Cabalquinto, Calubian; and Pepito, from Barangay Suba, Villaba, Leyte, were taken into custody.

Captain Alexander Alfonso, acting chief of Calubian Municipal Police Station, credited the combined efforts of police, military units, and the community’s vigilance for the successful operation.

“The collective efforts of the police and other units, along with the active support of force multipliers and the community, were key factors in the surrender of the two escapees,” he said.