Police have arrested the suspect in the killing of Philippine Air Force (PAF) Airman First Class (A1C) Mervin M. Guarte, a Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, during a joint law enforcement operation in Bamban, Tarlac on 28 July 2026.

According to the Police Regional Office MIMAROPA (PRO MIMAROPA), the operation led to the arrest of Oriental Mindoro’s No. 4 Most Wanted Person at the provincial level.

The 35-year-old suspect, a resident of Barangay Camilmil, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, was apprehended along Tizon Street in Barangay Banaba by a composite team led by the Regional Intelligence Division (RID) 4B under Police Colonel Gerry M. Laylo.

The operation involved personnel from the Oriental Mindoro Regional Intelligence Team (ORMIN-RIT), RID 4B, Regional Intelligence Unit 4B, Calapan City Police Station, Provincial Intelligence Unit of the Oriental Mindoro Police Provincial Office, Regional Mobile Force Battalion 4B, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA)-MIMAROPA, the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Angeles City Police Office, Bamban Municipal Police Station, Tarlac Police Provincial Office, the 300th Intelligence Squadron Wing of the Philippine Air Force, and the Naval Intelligence and Security Unit 34 of the Naval Intelligence and Security Group Southern Luzon.

The suspect was arrested by virtue of a warrant issued on 28 March 2025 by Judge Charity Grace Alcantara of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 40, in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, for murder under Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code. The case, docketed as Criminal Case No. CR-25-17425, carries no recommended bail.

Court records showed that the charge stemmed from the fatal stabbing of Guarte on 7 January 2025, in Barangay Camilmil, Calapan City.

Guarte was an active member of the Philippine Air Force and a standout member of the Philippine national athletics team, bringing pride to the country after winning a gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games.

Following his arrest, the suspect was informed of the warrant and his constitutional rights before being placed under the custody of RID 4B pending turnover to the court of origin for appropriate legal proceedings.