MOTIONG, SAMAR — After nearly a decade of evading the law, a barangay chairman was arrested for allegedly participating in the deadly ambush of government troops in Samar, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) announced Friday.
The suspect, identified by police only as “Antonio,” was captured last Sunday in Barangay Saraw, Motiong, under warrants for murder and frustrated murder issued in November 2016 by the Regional Trial Court Branch 29 in Catbalogan City.
The charges stem from a May 2015 attack in Barangay Concepcion, Paranas, where Antonio and 14 alleged accomplices—described by authorities as members of a communist terrorist group—allegedly ambushed a unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
According to the CIDG, the assault left two soldiers dead and two others critically wounded.
“It was a planned attack that cost the lives of our uniformed personnel and nearly claimed two more,” the agency stated.
At the time of the ambush, Antonio was not yet a barangay chairperson. Maj. Helen Dela Cruz, CIDG public information officer, told a media outlet in a phone interview that it remains unclear when he assumed the position.
For nine years, Antonio allegedly hid in the remote, mountainous terrain of Barangay Saraw, shifting locations to avoid arrest.
“The relentless manhunt finally ended his free days,” the CIDG said, crediting its Western Samar Provincial Field Unit for the successful operation.
The arrest underscores the government’s ongoing campaign against communist insurgency in Eastern Visayas, where clashes between state forces and rebel groups have spanned decades.
Antonio is now in CIDG custody and will be presented to the court that issued his warrants.
The CIDG said efforts are underway to locate his co-accused, who remain at large.
“Justice may be delayed, but it is never denied,” the agency said in its statement, vowing continued operations to hold all those involved in the 2015 attack accountable.
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