Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief P/Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. over the weekend commended police units in Quezon Province and Camarines Sur for their swift coordination and immediate response that led to the arrest of two armed robbery suspects.

Nartatez lauded the operating units for the successful dragnet operation that intercepted the suspects, identified as Christopher Manlangit Dela Cruz, 50, of Muntinlupa City, and Aljohn Torpio Divino, 37, of Cainta, Rizal, aboard a passenger bus along the Maharlika Highway in Gumaca, Quezon, on Friday, 26 June.

The operation is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., through the guidance of DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla, to strengthen law enforcement coordination and ensure the immediate arrest of criminals to keep communities safe.

“I commend our local police units for their swift coordination and decisive action. Their professionalism and prompt response prevented armed suspects from evading justice and helped ensure the safety of the riding public,” Nartatez said.

The operation was launched after the Provincial Intelligence Unit of the Quezon Police Provincial Office (PPO) received a request for hot pursuit from the Libmanan Municipal Police Station (MPS) in Camarines Sur after the suspects allegedly committed a robbery in Libmanan and boarded a passenger bus.

Acting on the information, personnel from the 2nd Quezon Provincial Mobile Force Company (PMFC), the Gumaca MPS, and the Provincial Intelligence Unit established a dragnet operation at around 10:55 a.m.

Police intercepted the bus minutes later, and all passengers were asked to disembark one by one while officers searched for two men matching the descriptions provided by intelligence units, leading to the suspects’ arrest.

A search of the suspects’ brown sling bag resulted in the recovery of a loaded 9mm pistol, a loaded caliber .40 pistol, two loaded magazines for the .40-caliber firearm, assorted foreign and Philippine currency, and several pieces of jewelry believed to be connected to the reported robbery.

“This successful operation demonstrates the value of intelligence-driven policing and close coordination among our operating units. The timely exchange of information and immediate execution of a dragnet operation enabled our personnel to intercept the suspects before they could escape,” Nartatez said.

The suspects and the recovered pieces of evidence were turned over to the Gumaca Municipal Police Station for documentation, investigation, and the filing of appropriate criminal charges.

“We will continue strengthening intelligence gathering and inter-unit coordination to improve our response against criminals,” Nartatez said.