GENERAL NAKAR, Quezon — After more than two decades of hiding, one of the country’s most wanted fugitives finally ran out of road.

Authorities arrested a National Level Most Wanted Person known only as “Diding” in a remote village in Barangay Lumutan, General Nakar, Quezon Province on 17 September, ending a 23-year manhunt that spanned regions and administrations.

The arrest was carried out by operatives from the CIDG Negros Occidental Provincial Field Unit, in coordination with the PNP Intelligence Group and local police units. Acting on a warrant for murder issued by a South Cotabato court in 2012 — with no bail recommended — the team finally tracked the suspect down to his mountain hideout.

“Diding,” a native of San Miguel, Poblacion, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, had a P140,000 reward on his head, listed under a DILG Memorandum Circular as one of the nation’s most wanted.

A crime that shocked a community

According to the case records, the crime took place on the night of 25 May 2003. At around 11 p.m., the suspect — along with three other accomplices — allegedly ambushed and brutally assaulted a man known as “Duho” while he was walking home in Sitio San Miguel, Barangay Poblacion, Lake Sebu.

The group, armed with blunt objects and a knife, attacked the unarmed and unsuspecting victim, inflicting multiple stab wounds that led to his death. In a grisly attempt to hide the crime, the suspects reportedly tied a large stone to the victim’s body, stuffed it into a sack, and dumped it into Lake Sebu.

Following the issuance of the arrest warrant in 2012, “Diding” fled South Cotabato and disappeared — until now.

End of the road

For 23 years, the accused managed to evade capture, living under the radar in the dense and far-flung areas of Quezon. But persistence paid off. The CIDG tracker team, described by officials as “unyielding,” finally closed in on the fugitive last week.

The arrest is part of ongoing efforts by the PNP and CIDG to clear cold cases and bring justice to victims and their families — even if it takes years or decades.

Authorities have yet to release further details pending the transfer of the suspect to the jurisdiction of the court that issued the warrant.