Man tagged in murder of Antique village chief arrested in Quezon City

MANILA, Philippines—A man long wanted for the 2005 murder of a barangay (village) chairman in Antique province was arrested Monday morning at his house in Quezon City.

Noel de la Cruz, 39, was nabbed in Barangay Commonwealth by virtue of an arrest warrant issued by a court in San Jose town in Antique.

The Batasan police station commander, Supt. Ramon Pranada, said the suspect was the most wanted man in his town and the fourth-most wanted in the entire province.

The jobless De la Cruz had been on the run for nearly six years for allegedly murdering Barangay Mojon chairman Romeo Moscos in 2005.

The suspect was nabbed after a complainant came to the Batasan police station to ask them to serve an arrest warrant issued by Judge Rufy Castrojas of the San Jose Regional Trial Court Branch 12 in connection with the Moscos murder case.

Upon checking with the Antique provincial police office, Pranada learned that the suspect had been long wanted in the province and that he had been hiding in Barangay Commonwealth within the jurisdiction of the Batasan police station.

Dela Cruz was arrested around 9 a.m. Monday at his house on Bato Bato Street.

“He was unable to fight back when we collared him at his house,” Pranada said, adding that they did not recover any weapons from the suspect.

Police are still checking if De la Cruz is involved in other cases in his province.

Pranada said the suspect would be taken back to Antique, where he would be held for trial.