Delfin Lee. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police has been unable to pin down the “Big Five” due to their “resources” and “loyal supporters” who have been helping them evade the law, a PNP spokesman said Wednesday.
Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo Jr. said that despite the intensified manhunt, retired General Jovito Palparan, Palawan Governor Joel Reyes, his brother Coron Mayor Mario Reyes, Dinagat Island Representative Ruben Ecleo Jr., and now Delfin Lee of Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corp. have remained in hiding.
Cerbo said investigators have leads which haven’t yielded positive results.
Palparan has been linked to the kidnapping and disappearance of two students from the University of the Philippines in 2006; the Reyeses are accused in the murder of broadcast journalist Gerry Ortega on Jan. 24, 2011; Ecleo was convicted of the murder of his wife in 2002; and Lee is facing arrest for syndicated estafa
in connection with the P7 billion “ghost borrowers” housing loan scandal.
Despite this, the PNP announced that it still managed to arrest over 14,000 wanted criminals for the first five months of 2012, thanks to the offer of monetary rewards, Cerbo said.
The PNP has formally rewarded 18 informants amounting to a total of P2.33 million, which was funded under the PNP Reward System.
Among the recently arrested suspects were Jonathan Carpio with P1 million bounty; Sahibul Sailani with P300,000.00 reward; Datu Ipi Ampatuan with P300,000.00 reward; Macario Tadina with P300,000.00 reward; Julian Bonares, P300,000.00; Zacaria Pama Akil, P250,000.00; Sonny Kamsa Pandi, P250,000.00; Arnold Cinco, P200,000.00; and Lord Catabay Menor, P200,000.00.